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. 2024 Jun 7;14(6):609.
doi: 10.3390/jpm14060609.

Clinical Factors Associated with Binge-Eating Episodes or Purging Behaviors in Patients Affected by Eating Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study

Alice Caldiroli  1 , Letizia Maria Affaticati  2 , Sara Coloccini  3 , Francesca Manzo  2 , Alberto Scalia  2 , Enrico Capuzzi  1 , Davide La Tegola  1 , Fabrizia Colmegna  1 , Antonios Dakanalis  1   2 , Maria Salvina Signorelli  3 , Massimiliano Buoli  4   5 , Massimo Clerici  1   2
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Clinical Factors Associated with Binge-Eating Episodes or Purging Behaviors in Patients Affected by Eating Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study

Alice Caldiroli et al. J Pers Med. .

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential associations between clinical/socio-demographic variables and the presence of purging/binge-eating episodes in eating disorders (EDs). Clinical/socio-demographic variables and psychometric scores were collected. Groups of patients were identified according to the presence or absence of purging or objective binge-eating episodes (OBEs) and compared through t-test and chi-square tests. Binary logistic regression analyses were run. A sample of 51 ED outpatients was recruited. Patients with purging behaviors had a longer duration of untreated illness (DUI) (t = 1.672; p = 0.019) and smoked a higher number of cigarettes/day (t = 1.061; p = 0.030) compared to their counterparts. A lower BMI was associated with purging (OR = 0.881; p = 0.035), and an older age at onset showed a trend towards statistical significance (OR = 1.153; p = 0.061). Patients with OBEs, compared to their counterparts, were older (t = 0.095; p < 0.001), more frequently presented a diagnosis of bulimia or binge-eating disorder (χ2 = 26.693; p < 0.001), a longer duration of illness (t = 2.162; p = 0.019), a higher number of hospitalizations (t = 1.301; p = 0.012), and more often received a prescription for pharmacological treatment (χ2 = 7.864; OR = 6.000; p = 0.005). A longer duration of the last pharmacological treatment was associated with OBE (OR = 1.569; p = 0.046). In contrast to purging, OBE was associated with a more complicated and severe presentation of ED. A lower BMI and a later age at onset, as well as long-lasting previous pharmacological treatments, may predict the presence of purging/binging. Further research is needed to thoroughly characterize ED features and corroborate our preliminary findings.

Keywords: clinical markers; eating disorders; objective binge-eating episodes; purging; severity of illness.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Methodological steps of the present study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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