Predictors of rehospitalization after total weight recovery in adolescents with anorexia nervosa

Objective The current study analyzed the variables related to rehospitalization after total weight recovery in adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Method One hundred and one patients first admitted for inpatient treatment, aged 11–19 years, were followed up for 12 months after discharge. Results Twenty-five subjects (24.8%) required readmission after complete weight recovery and 76 (75.2%) did not. Duration of disorder, weight loss, body mass index at first admission, and global body image distortion were similar in the two groups. Patients needing readmission had a lower rate of weight gain (p < .001), a lower mean age (p = .007), a higher mean score on the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT; p = .009), and a higher percentage of hips overestimation (p = .049). In a stepwise logistic regression analysis, these three variables predicted readmission and correctly classified 77.6% of patients. Taken as discrete variables, age younger than 15 years old, EAT score above 55, and a rate of weight gain lower than 150 grams per day were associated with a higher percentage of readmissions. Discussion The variables most clearly related to readmission were young age, abnormal eating attitudes, and a low rate of weight gain. © 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 36: 22–30, 2004.