Adverse Physical, Mental Health Outcomes Persist With Eating Disorders

THURSDAY, Nov. 20, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals with a diagnosis of eating disorder are more likely to have recorded adverse physical and mental health outcomes, according to a study published online Nov. 18 in BMJ Medicine.Catharine Morgan, Ph.D., from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, and colleagues examined short- and long-term adverse physical and mental health outcomes and all-cause mortality in individuals with a diagnosis of eating disorder. A total of 24,709 patients aged 10 to 44 years with a diagnosis of eating disorder were matched with up to 20 comparators (493,001 participants).The researchers found that the risks for coded adverse physical, mental health, and mortality outcomes were substantially higher for individuals with eating disorders. These individuals were significantly more likely to develop renal failure or liver disease within the first year after diagnosis of an eating disorder (hazard ratios, 6.0 and 6.7, respectively). After five years, risks were still increased (hazard ratios for renal failure and liver disease, 2.6 and 3.7, respectively). In the short term, mental health coded outcomes were markedly increased, with hazard ratios of 7.3 and 9.4 for depression and self-harm, respectively. Mortality was also higher, with the risk for all-cause mortality and unnatural deaths increasing within the first year (hazard ratios, 4.6 and 5.1, respectively). Risks persisted beyond five years. In the first year, suicide risk was 13.7 times higher and remained increased at 10 years (hazard ratio, 2.7)."Raising awareness among health care providers about the lasting effects of eating disorders and the need for ongoing support in managing current symptoms and recovery is essential," the authors write.Abstract/Full TextEditorial.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter