To examine the clinical features of male patients with eating disorders in Singapore; and determine the differences in clinical features between the patients across the diagnostic categories. Methods: This is a database analysis of all male cases presenting to the Eating Disorders Clinic at Singapore General Hospital between 2003 and 2012. Results: 72 cases were identified; 36.1% were diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, 33.3% had bulimia nervosa and 30.5% had the diagnosis of eating disorder not otherwise specified. The mean presenting age was 19.9 years. 63.9% were heterosexual, while 15.3% were homosexual/bisexual. 61.1% had comorbid psychiatric diagnoses, with depression being the most common. 59.7% recorded premorbid obesity, while 66.7% reported excessive exercise. The patients in the various diagnostic categories had more similarities than differences. Conclusion: With more male cases over the years, it is important to further understand this condition, to better refine prevention, detection and treatment strategies.
Eating Disorders ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Men

INTRODUCTIONThere is limited data on the psychopathology of eating disorders in Singapore. This study: (a) described levels of eating psychopathology and psychosocial impairment among individuals diagnosed with eating disorders at our hospital; and (b) compared the related psychopathology of these patients.

METHODSBetween 1 August 2010 and 31 July 2012, 257 individuals who met the diagnostic criteria for eating disorders completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and Clinical Impairment Assessment questionnaire (CIA).

RESULTSA majority of participants were women and of Chinese ethnicity. Diagnoses included anorexia nervosa (AN; 41.6%), bulimia nervosa (BN; 29.6%) and eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS; 28.8%). Mean age at presentation was 20.52 ± 7.14 years and mean body mass index was 17.84 ± 4.18 kg/m. Individuals with AN were significantly younger at presentation and had shorter duration of untreated illness compared to those with BN and EDNOS. There were no significant differences in the CIA scores of the diagnostic groups. Participants with BN scored higher in all subscales of the EDE-Q than those with AN and EDNOS. Our sample scored lower in most subscales of EDE-Q when compared to treatment centres in Sweden, Australia and the United States.

CONCLUSIONOur clinical sample reported lower scores of psychopathology compared to overseas centres. This could be attributed to the higher percentages of BN and EDNOS diagnosed in overseas populations. Individuals with AN showed higher levels of psychopathology in our study compared to patients from the United States.

INTRODUCTIONThe prevalence rate of anorexia nervosa is lower in Asia than in the West, although studies have found that it is on the rise in Asia. This study aims to present the clinical profile of patients presenting with anorexia nervosa in Singapore.

METHODSThe present study used archival data from the Eating Disorder Programme registry of the Department of Psychiatry, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore. Patient records from 2003 to 2010 were collected and analysed. Presenting characteristics of the patients were also compared with those of another local study conducted eight years earlier.

RESULTSFrom 2003 to 2010, a total of 271 patients were diagnosed with anorexia nervosa by a psychiatrist in our hospital. Of these, 251 (92.6%) were female and 238 (87.8%) were Chinese. Our patients had a lower mean weight (36.83 kg, p < 0.001) and a lower mean body mass index (BMI) (14.43 kg/m(2), p < 0.001) than patients from the previous local study. Almost half of all our patients (n = 135, 49.8%) were diagnosed with at least one psychiatric comorbidity and 50 (18.5%) had a history of self-harm.

CONCLUSIONThe presenting characteristics of our study cohort were similar to those of the Western population. However, the lower presenting weight and BMI in our cohort indicates that cases seen today are more severe than those seen eight years ago. Therefore, it is important to put in place prevention programmes to help adolescents cultivate a healthy body image as well as early intervention programmes to improve detection rates and treatment outcomes.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Anorexia Nervosa ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; therapy ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Body Image ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Child ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Self-Injurious Behavior ; complications ; Singapore ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult