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Trends in hospital admissions for eating disorders in a country undergoing a socio-cultural transition, the Czech Republic 1981–2005

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Abstract

Objective

To test the hypothesis that the socio-cultural transition in the 1990s in Eastern Europe was associated with an increase in admissions for eating disorders (ED).

Method

Cases of ICD-9 and ICD-10 ED in 1981, 1986 and 1992–2005 and first admissions for ICD-10 anorexia nervosa (AN) in 1994–2005 were retrieved from the Czech national register of hospital admissions. Age- and sex-adjusted admission rates (per 100,000) were calculated and time trends tested by Poisson regression.

Results

The admission rate for ED in females aged 10–39 quadrupled from 2.6 (95% CI 2.1–3.0) in 1981 to 10.6 (95% CI 9.8–11.5) in 2001, and remained elevated till 2005. The rate of first-time admissions for AN in 10- to 39-old females increased from 4.5 (95% CI 3.6–5.4) in 1994 to 7.5 (95% CI 6.3–8.6) in 1999, followed by a non-significant decrease.

Conclusion

Temporal association of an increase in admissions with socio-cultural transition suggests that risk of severe ED including AN is culture-dependent.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Czech Government Grant VZ 216 208 16. We would like to thank to Mgr. Jiri Holub for granting us the access to the register.

Conflict of interest statement

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, PO78, 4 Windsor Walk, London, SE5 8AF, UK

    Barbara Pavlova

  2. Institute of Psychiatry, PO80, De Crespingy Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK

    Rudolf Uher

  3. Prague Psychiatric Centre, Bohnice, Ústavní 91, Prague, Czech Republic

    Eva Dragomirecka

  4. Department of Psychiatry, 1st Medical School, Charles University, Ke Karlovu 11, Prague, Czech Republic

    Hana Papezova

Authors
  1. Barbara Pavlova
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  2. Rudolf Uher
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  3. Eva Dragomirecka
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  4. Hana Papezova
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Barbara Pavlova.

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Pavlova, B., Uher, R., Dragomirecka, E. et al. Trends in hospital admissions for eating disorders in a country undergoing a socio-cultural transition, the Czech Republic 1981–2005. Soc Psychiat Epidemiol 45, 541–550 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0092-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0092-7

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