[Body image disturbances in patients with anorexia nervosa 12 years after clinical consultation].

Of 103 patients with anorexia nervosa, 50 women and 5 men were followed-up on the average 11.8 year after clinical presentation with a differentiated method for body awareness according to Askevold. A considerable number of women with body image disturbances, however, largely corresponded to those of a healthy female control group. Both the male anorexia nervosa patients and the healthy male controls had normal findings. Applying to touch-induced stimulus, the body assessment indices only increased in former male anorexia patients but remained the same in female anorexia patients, while they clearly normalized in the sense of a realistic assessment in the two healthy control groups. Surprisingly, there was only little correlation between the visually measured body perception disorder and the self (EDI) and expert assessment (Sianex) at the time of follow-up (exception: the EDI scale 3 [dissatisfaction with one's own body). The global expert rating of body image disturbances at clinical presentation was important as a predictor for the severity of anorexia nervosa after 12 years. The findings were discussed under methodological and clinical aspects.