Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Italy.
J Clin Psychiatry. 2009 Dec;70(12):1715-21. doi: 10.4088/JCP.09m05176blu.
This study aims to explore the time trends in age at onset of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
The sample was composed of 1,666 anorexia nervosa subjects and 793 bulimia nervosa subjects (according to DSM-IV criteria) without previous anorexia nervosa consecutively referred to our outpatient unit in the period between 1985 and 2008. Time trends in illness onset were analyzed according to the year of birth of subjects.
In both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, age at onset showed a significant decrease according to year of birth. A regression model showed a significant independent effect of socioeconomic status, age at menarche, and number of siblings in predicting age at onset lower than 16 years.
Age at onset of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa is decreasing in younger generations. The implications of our findings in terms of long-term outcome remain to be understood. Biologic and sociocultural factors explaining this phenomenon need to be explored in future studies.
本研究旨在探讨神经性厌食症和神经性贪食症发病年龄的时间趋势。
该样本由 1666 名神经性厌食症患者和 793 名神经性贪食症患者（根据 DSM-IV 标准）组成，这些患者均无既往神经性厌食症病史，于 1985 年至 2008 年连续被收入我院门诊。根据患者的出生日期分析疾病发病的时间趋势。
在神经性厌食症和神经性贪食症中，发病年龄均随出生日期的推移而显著下降。回归模型显示，社会经济地位、初潮年龄和兄弟姐妹数量对预测 16 岁以下发病年龄有显著的独立影响。
神经性厌食症和神经性贪食症的发病年龄在年轻一代中呈下降趋势。我们的研究结果在长期预后方面的意义还有待理解。需要在未来的研究中探讨解释这一现象的生物学和社会文化因素。
