Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Mar-Apr;100 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S88-S96.
doi: 10.1016/j.jped.2023.12.001. Epub 2023 Dec 26.

Diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders in children and adolescents

Ana Paola Robatto  1 , Carla de Magalhães Cunha  1 , Luiza Amélia Cabus Moreira  2
Affiliations
Review

Diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders in children and adolescents

Ana Paola Robatto et al. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2024 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Objectives: To provide a narrative review of the main eating disorders (ED), specifically focusing on children and adolescents. This review also aims to help the pediatrician identify, diagnose, and refer children and adolescents affected by this medical condition and inform them about the multidisciplinary treatment applied to these disorders.

Data source: The research was conducted in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline) databases via PubMed and Embase. Consolidated Guidelines and Guidebooks in the area were also included in the review to support the discussion of ED treatment in childhood and adolescence.

Data synthesis: ED are psychiatric condition that usually begins in adolescence or young adulthood but can occur at any time of life, including in childhood, which has been increasingly frequent. Pediatricians are the first professionals to deal with the problem and, therefore, must be well trained in identifying and managing these disorders, which can be severe, and determine physical complications and quality of life of patients and their families.

Conclusion: ED has shown an increase in prevalence, as well as a reduction in the age of diagnosed patients, requiring adequate detection and referral by pediatricians. The treatment requires a specialized multidisciplinary team and is generally long-lasting for adequate recovery of affected individuals.

Keywords: Adolescents; Anorexia nervosa; Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder; Bulimia nervosa; Children; Eating disorders.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Characteristics, causal aspects and treatment of ED.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Agostino H., Burstein B., Moubayed D., Taddeo D., Grady R., Vyver E., et al. Trends in the incidence of new-onset anorexia nervosa and atypical anorexia nervosa among youth during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hornberger L.L., Lane M.A., Committee on Adolescence Identification and management of eating disorders in children and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2021;147 - PubMed
    1. Nascimento M.I., Machado P.H., Garcez R.M., Pizzato R., da Rosa S.M. 5th ed. American Psychiatric Association/Artmed Editora Ltda; Porto Alegre: 2014. (translation). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; p. 948.
    1. Mitchell J.E., Peterson C.B. Anorexia Nervosa. N Engl J Med. 2020;382:1343–1351. - PubMed
    1. Nitsch A., Dlugosz H., Gibson D., Mehler P.S. Medical complications of bulimia nervosa. Cleve Clin J Med. 2021;88:333–343. - PubMed