According to research conducted by a team at the institute, early-onset eating disorders affect around three in every 100,000 children under the age of 13 in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Using the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit and a new system developed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, 208 cases of early-onset eating disorders were confirmed over a 14-month period. Of the children diagnosed with eating disorders, 50 per cent were admitted to hospital for treatment.
Lead researcher Dr Dasha Nicholls, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, said: "It is too early to say if there has been a rise in the numbers of children with eating disorders in recent years, but we hope our research can be used as a baseline from which to monitor future trends.
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