ABSTRACT

Objectives

To outline the profile of patients with eating disorders who drop out of a specialized service treatment and to investigate the associated factors.

Methods

Cross-cut study with a comparative quantitative outline. All patients’ medical records being treated by the service, between 1982 and 2013, have been reviewed in order to collect social and demographic data, as well as clinical and anthropometrical data (in the first and last medical visit) and data related to the outcome of the treatment. Data has been analyzed by SPSS and R program and the following tests have been used: Pearson’s chi-square, Fisher’s exact test, Mann-Whitney U test and logistic regression analysis.

Results

Sixty-six point seven percent of patients dropped out of treatment (Dropout Group-DG) and 33.3% had different outcomes (Persisters Group-PG) Among DG, most were female, from Ribeirão Preto and surroundings, student, single, at least with Junior and Elementary High School and a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN). Dropout was materially associated with the following variables Diagnostic Hypothesis (p = 0.049), Psychiatric Comorbidities (p = 0.001), Depression (p = 0.048), Personality Disorder (p = 0.001), Clinical Comorbidities (< 0.001) and Osteopenia (p = 0.007). Among DG, subjects had appropriate weight and absence of amenorrhea both at the beginning and end of the treatment. Good nutritional status and absence of clinical comorbidities were associated with dropout.

Conclusions

The dropping out rate of the service is high. Patients were young adults diagnosed with AN who have long displayed symptoms before the beginning of the treatment and were less than six months under treatment. Prospective studies can contribute to researches driven to the dropout of treatment by these patients, researches which could seek and provide a better understanding of these disorders and how to treat them.

Eating disorders; treatment outcome; patient dropouts