Awareness of early-onset anorexia nervosa

The aim of the study was to determine whether physicians consider anorexia nervosa as a possible diagnosis in children and adolescents presenting various somatic symptoms including significant weight loss. Questionnaires were handed out to participants of a national general medical congress in Austria. The questionnaire included two case vignettes of children with anorexia nervosa and questions about diagnosis, differential diagnoses and management. Anorexia nervosa was considered as possible primary diagnosis in both cases by 3.8% of the respondents and 11.4% suspected a psychosomatic or psychiatric disorder as primary diagnosis in both cases. These findings demonstrate a limited awareness of anorexia nervosa and of a psychosomatic or psychiatric origin of somatic symptoms including weight loss in children and adolescents among physicians. Recognizing anorexia nervosa in an early stage and referring the patients for a psychiatric evaluation as soon as possible is a prerequisite for specialized treatment and might improve the long-term outcome of this severe disorder. Increased educational efforts are required to improve the knowledge among primary care physicians about eating disorders.