Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2026

Assessing Activity-based Anorexia in Mice
Published on: May 14, 2018
Absence of seasonal pattern of birth in patients with anorexia nervosa
María Y Vellisca1, José I Latorre, Miguel A Santed
1Department of Psychology and Sociology, Zaragoza University, Teruel, Spain. vellisca@unizar.es
Objective:
An excess of spring births has been suggested in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), especially in the restricting subtype, but most of the research has been carried out inside the United Kingdom. The aim of this study was to assess whether there is a seasonal pattern of birth in a representative sample of patients with AN in a different latitude in the northern hemisphere.
Method:
We examined the month of birth in a sample of 210 female patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of AN at first presentation to a specialized eating disorders service in Spain.
Results:
We found no evidence of significant variation in month or season of birth in AN when compared to general population.
Discussion:
There is not enough evidence of a season of birth bias under the latitude of the United Kingdom in the risk of developing AN.
Related Concept Videos
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Bulimia Nervosa
Sleep-Wake Cycles
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
Signs of Puberty
Nondisjunction
Energy Budgets

