This study assessed the prevalence and number of antimicrobial prescriptions and defined daily doses (DDDs) in patients with eating disorders.
Patients (N=1592) treated at the Eating Disorder Unit of the Helsinki University Central Hospital were compared with matched controls (N=6368) on the prevalence and numbers of prescriptions and DDDs of antimicrobial drugs. The analyses were made using various regression models.
Patients with bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder had higher prevalence of prescription than their matched controls (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.34-2.07 and OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.44-4.61, respectively). They also had generally larger number of DDDs. Patients with anorexia nervosa did not generally differ from their controls in the use of antimicrobial drugs.
The findings of this study demonstrated the increased use of antimicrobial medication in patients with bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. The elevated number of infections in these patient populations might be associated with binge-eating related hyperglycemia
