Obesity comorbidity with eating disorders

In the few years various factors that influence obesity have been studied, including genetic, sociocultural, metabolic and endocrine factors. Research advances in this area will help enhance our knowledge, prevention and treatment of this syndrome. Objective. Our first aim is to establish co-morbidity between obesity and eating disorders (i.e., binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating disorder and bulimia). Our second aim is to establish the relation between psychiatric diagnoses and sociodemographic, anthropometric, endocrine and psychological variables. Method. We interviewed 97 outpatients that attended a specialized clinic for obesity control in Mexico City, 67 females and 30 males. These patients were interviewed by a nutrition specialist, an endocrinologist and a psychiatrist, all working in the obesity clinic. For the psychiatric diagnoses, DSM-IV criteria were applied to analyze the clinical information on the charts. Results. Of all patients in the group 13.4% presented no psychiatric disorder, 53.6% met criteria for binge eating disorder, 12.4% for type six NOS-ED (Not Otherwise Specified Eating Disorder) (compulsive overeating) and 20.6% for bulimia. Endocrine disorders were found as follows: 80.4% presented no endocrine disorder, 11.3% diabetes mellitus, and 8.2% other diagnoses. Obesity degree: 8.2% normal weight, 28.9% overweight, 37.1% type I obesity, 18.6% type II obesity and 7.2% extreme obesity; binge eating disorder was related to all obesity types. Bulimic patients had a greater energetic expenditure. Patients with psychiatric disorders generally did not present endocrine comorbidity, only 13.4% comorbidity. The number of treatments to reduce weight was in direct relationship to patients with psychiatric disorders. Patients with a largest calorie intake presented binge eating disorder with more eating periods per hay. In sum, by measuring anthropometric variables and some nutritional variables, such as the way of eating and calorie intake, it was easier to predict eating disorders in obese patients. The medical variables themselves were not associated to the mental health of obese patients. Conclusions. We found there is an important relation between obesity and psychiatric disorders and we consider it necessary to undertake further multidisciplinary, longitudinal and prospective studies in other groups of patients or non patients.