Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated medical-psychiatric treatment of major eating disorders.
Design: Historical cohort study.
Setting: Outpatient Unit for Protein Energy Malnutrition of the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, "Federico II" University of Naples, time of study: January 1994 to December 1997 PARTICIPANTS: 147 female patients with restrictive or bulimic anorexia nervosa (mean age 19.8 +/- 13.7, BMI 14.7 +/- 2.1 Kg/m2) consecutively attending the outpatient unit between January 1994 and December 1997.
Main outcome measures: Hospitalization and mortality rates were evaluated up to Jan 1999 with a minimum follow-up of 18 months.
Results: There were 23 admissions to the Clinical Nutrition ward for 19 patients (i.e. 12.9%) mostly due to severe protein energy malnutrition, and 2 deaths, only 1 strictly related to anorexia (mortality rate 0.7%).
Conclusions: Integrated outpatient medical-psychiatric treatment for major eating disorders is an effective and inexpensive procedure that reduces mortality and admissions due to medical complications in the medium term.