Eating Disorders in Males: An 8-Year Population-Based Observational Study

Abstract

The objective of the study was the realistic evaluation of the prevalence of eating disorders (ED) among Polish men who sought treatment through the National Health Fund (NFZ) in the years 2010–2017. According to ICD-10, four types of ED were analyzed: anorexia nervosa—AN (F50.0), atypical anorexia nervosa (F50.1), bulimia nervosa—BN (F50.2), and atypical bulimia nervosa (F50.3). The NFZ database was used. The ED groups were defined according to ICD-10 codes. Demographic data were collected from the web page of Statistics Poland (GUS). The annual prevalence of EDs was estimated, and the age groups were categorized into nine groups. For the incidence of EDs in male patients in the years 2010–2017, relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was calculated. The frequency trend of AN in males remains relatively stable. AN occurred mainly in young men (between 11 and 30 years). It was noted that AN affected approximately 100 men in each year of observation, while atypical anorexia nervosa affected about 40 men. In 2017, the RR for EDs in young males was 0.041 (95% CI [0.033, 0.051]). Bulimia was relatively rare (about 35 males each year). The incidence of EDs in males is a relatively constant phenomenon. The real number of male patients with EDs may be higher. The current conceptualizations of ED pathology should be modified and better adapted to men. Clinical guidelines for specialists working with males with EDs should be developed.