Health Services Utilization by Individuals With Eating Disorders in Norway: A Nationwide Register-Linkage Study

This study investigated healthcare utilization by individuals with an eating disorder (ED) stratified by age and ED diagnosis.

Data were retrieved from the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR) and the Control and Payment of Health Reimbursements (KUHR). Individuals aged 6-69 years registered with a primary ED diagnosis (ICD-10, F50.0-50.9) between 2015 and 2020 were included. Treatment cycles were defined as a sequence of specialist contacts preceded by and followed by a 48-month lag period. Treatment duration from diagnosis to end-of-treatment was assessed using time-to-event analysis.

10,782 individuals were included; 91.8% female. Nearly half (48.3%) were diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (AN; F50.0-50.1), which had the longest median treatment duration (3.1 years), compared with BN (1.6 years) and other EDs (1.3 years). Individuals under 18 were predominantly treated for AN (67.9%). Within 2 years of diagnosis, 29.7% had received inpatient care (median 56 days), while 3.5% received day treatment. Prior to diagnosis, patients had a median of 4.5 GP visits, 62% of which were coded as somatic-related.

Individuals with EDs exhibited substantial utilization of primary and specialised care, with intensive and prolonged specialist care for AN, especially among younger women. Frequent GP consultations highlight primary care as an important setting for earlier ED detection.