Long‐term follow‐up study of low‐weight avoidant restrictive food intake disorder compared with childhood‐onset anorexia nervosa: Psychiatric and occupational outcome in 56 patients

OBJECTIVE: To compare long term outcome between childhood-onset Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and low-weight Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) in regard to psychiatric diagnoses, social and occupational functioning. METHOD: A consecutive series of 56 children originally treated for low-weight restrictive eating disorder (ED) were followed up after a mean of 15.9 years. ARFID-diagnoses were assigned retrospectively. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients originally had AN and 19 patients were diagnosed retrospectively with ARFID. At follow-up, in the AN-group 21.6% had a current ED, 24.3% had another psychiatric diagnosis, and 54.1% did not have any psychiatric diagnosis. In the ARFID-group, 26.3% had a current ED, 26.3% had another psychiatric diagnosis, and 47.4% had no psychiatric diagnosis. In the ARFID-group ED diagnoses at follow-up were all ARFID, whereas the AN-group showed heterogeneity. Morgan Russell Outcome Assessment Schedule indicated similar outcome in the AN- and ARFID-group. Occupational functioning did not differ significantly between the AN- and ARFID-group. DISCUSSION: The AN-group showed high rate of ED at follow up. The ARFID-group had a similar outcome to AN. In the ARFID-group, all ED-cases at follow up had ARFID, possibly indicating symptomatic stability. Low-weight ARFID should be treated as seriously as childhood onset AN.