title: Increased emergency department use by adolescents and young adults with eating disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study describes patterns of emergency department (ED) utilization by patients who screen positive for eating disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  ED patients aged 14-20 years (n = 1,920) completed a computerized questionnaire. The analyses compared the rates of ED use between patients who screened positive for an eating disorder and those who did not and examined the reasons for ED use amongst patients with eating disorders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ED patients who screened positive for eating disorders were significantly more likely to have previously visited the ED and, on average, utilized the ED at a rate 1.6 times higher than patients who screen negative for eating disorders. The most common chief complaints among patients who screen positive for eating disorders were abdominal pain and other gastrointestinal-related problems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with eating disorders utilize the ED more frequently than those without and commonly present for complaints seemingly unrelated to their eating disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. sldh@umich.edu
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dooley-Hash
authors.forename: Sarah K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lipson
authors.forename: Maureen A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Walton
authors.forename: Rebecca M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Cunningham
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult