Anorexia Nervosa - Epidemiology

Epidemiology

Anorexia has an average prevalence of 0.3–1% in women and 0.1% in men for the diagnosis in developed countries. The condition largely affects young adolescent women, with between 15 and 19 years old making up 40% of all cases. Approximately 75% of people with anorexia are female. Anorexia nervosa is more prevalent in the upper social classes and it is thought to be rare in less-developed countries (Gelder, Mayou and Geddes 2005). Anorexia is more prevalent in females and males born after 1945 ( Attia and Walsh 2007).