Abstract

Introduction

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is the psychiatric disorder with the highest mortality rate. Although suicide is the most common cause of death in patients with AN, sudden cardiac death, arrhythmias, and electrolyte imbalances are among the other causes. This study aimed to determine the mortality rate and causes of death in patients followed for AN and atypical AN (AAN).

Materials and Methods

Patients who presented to the Adolescent Health Department of our hospital between February 2014 and February 2025, were diagnosed with AN or AAN, and were followed in our department, were included in the study. Sex, age at presentation, body weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) data were obtained from medical records. Patients were contacted by phone to determine their current status, and for those who had died, the cause of death was recorded.

Results

Of the 391 patients followed with AN or AAN, 322 were included in the study. Among them, 110 had AN (106 female, 4 male) and 212 had AAN (188 female, 24 male). The mean age at presentation was 15.1±1.6 years in the AN group and 15.0±1.6 years in the AAN group (p = 0.545). The median duration since diagnosis for all patients was 3.9 years (IQR 2.7–6.3). No deaths occurred during medical follow-up in our clinic; however, one patient with AN who was not under regular follow-up was reported to have died by suicide. For all patients with AN and AAN whose data were available, the mortality rate was 0.7 per 1000 person-years, whereas for patients with AN it was 1.9 per 1000 person-years.

Conclusion

Consistent with the literature, suicide was identified as the most common cause of death, and no patient was lost due to medical complications. The mortality rate in our study was lower than previously reported for AN. Our findings suggest that regular follow-up with a multidisciplinary team may reduce mortality due to medical complications, whereas lack of consistent follow-up increases the risk of death.