The following is a summary of “Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder symptoms are not as frequent as other eating disorder symptoms when ulcerative colitis is in remission,” published in the April 2024 issue of Gastroenterology by Burton-Murray et al.
About 53% of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) test positive for avoidant/ restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), but this might be due to active IBD symptoms, not the eating disorder itself.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study assessing ARFID symptoms using the Nine Item ARFID Screen (NIAS) and ruled out/characterized other eating disorder behaviors with the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire 8 (EDE-Q8).
They studied adults with ulcerative colitis (UC) enrolled with quiescent UC (SCCAI ≤2 or fecal calprotectin <150 µg/g with corticosteroid-free clinical remission for ≥ 3 months) at baseline. Demographics, gastrointestinal medications, medical comorbidities, NIAS scores, and other eating disorder symptom scores (EDE-Q-8) were obtained via self-report.
The results showed 101 participants completed the NIAS at their baseline cohort assessment (mean age 49.9±16.5 years; 55% female). Eleven 11% of participants screened positive for ARFID on the NIAS subscale and 30% for other eating disorder symptoms (EDE-Q-8 Global ≥2.3). Participants were most concerned about weight and shape.
Investigators concluded that adults with UC in remission exhibited few ARFID symptoms using the NIAS, but many screened positive for other eating disorders.
Source: academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjae052/7650687
