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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Control of Eating Behavior Using a Novel Feedback System
Published on: May 8, 2018
Cost-utility of treatment of bulimia nervosa
Veera Pohjolainen1, Pirjo Räsänen, Risto P Roine
1Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District, Helsinki, Finland. veera.pohjolainen@fimnet.fi
Objective:
The costs of treating eating disorders are high. Our objective was to perform a cost-utility analysis of treatment of bulimia nervosa.
Method:
72 patients entering treatment of bulimia nervosa (ICD-10 diagnosis) completed the 15D health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaire and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) before and 6 months after the start of treatment. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained were calculated and cost-utility was assessed within the time horizon of 10 years.
Results:
Baseline HRQoL was severely impaired in the patients. As a consequence of treatment, mean HRQoL improved clinically and statistically significantly. The cost per QALY gained varied from €1,455 to €16,481 (from €4,428 to €19,663 discounted at 5%) depending on the assumptions used in the analysis.
Discussion:
HRQoL of bulimia nervosa patients is severely impaired, but treatment has a clear positive effect on HRQoL. The cost per QALY gained is comparable to many other treatments.
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