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Psychiatric illness may increase the risk of early death in people with anorexia nervosa
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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A new study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders has found that mortality rates in patients with anorexia nervosa are high and nearly double those with psychiatric illnesses.
For the study, the researchers analyzed data on all people diagnosed with anorexia nervosa in Denmark between 1977 and 2018. This included 14,774 patients who were followed for an average of 9.1 years (and up to 40 years), and were matched 1:10 with age- and gender-matched individuals in the general population.
Individuals with anorexia nervosa had a 4.5-fold higher risk of dying during the follow-up period compared with individuals in the general population. Psychiatric illnesses were present in 47% of patients with anorexia nervosa, and the presence of these illnesses was associated with a 1.9-fold increased risk of 10-year mortality compared with the absence of these illnesses. When diagnosed between the ages of 6 and 25, the presence of a psychiatric illness in addition to anorexia nervosa was associated with a 4-fold increased risk of 10-year mortality.
The mortality risk was similar by gender. Also, 13.9% of all deaths in patients with anorexia nervosa were due to suicide.
"These findings highlight the critical need for clinicians to recognize additional psychiatric disorders in adolescents and adults with anorexia," said lead study author Mette Søeby, a medical student and PhD student at Aarhus University/Aarhus University Hospital.