Signs and symptoms
Current consensus is that atypical anorexia patients are at risk for the same medical complications of anorexia nervosa.Evidence from a study conducted at the University of California San Francisco Eating Disorders Program suggests that atypical anorexia patients are equally likely as anorexia nervosa patients to develop secondary side effects, including bradycardia (decreased heart rate), amenorrhea (stopping of the menstrual period), and electrolyte imbalances. Treatment
Treatment for atypical anorexia is very similar to treatment for anorexia nervosa. Increasing calorie intake to a healthy amount is a crucial part of treatment, but patients with severe atypical anorexia are at risk for refeeding syndrome during early recovery, so it is recommended that they are treated in an inpatient facility and slowly adjusted to increased calorie intake by 100-200 additional calories per day. Treatment may also include a variety of therapies that help a patient deal with the depression, anxiety, and other mental symptoms that arise from the eating disorder.In the US, treatment may be complicated by the need to get health insurance plans to pay. Medical coding may be incorrect on requests or may be rejected because payers incorrectly evaluated it under the separate criteria for anorexia nervosa. Epidemiology
It is difficult to gauge the true prevalence of atypical anorexia pre-2013 because patients were lumped together under the EDNOS diagnosis. Evidence suggests that atypical anorexia is more prevalent than anorexia nervosa, but individuals experiencing it are less likely to receive care.
For example, one prospective study of 196 women found a prevalence of 2.8% for atypical anorexia, compared to only 0.8% for anorexia nervosa by the age of 20. == References ==