The Influences of COVID-19 Pandemic on Patient with Eating Disorders - A Literature Review

Introduction: Physical consequences have garnered the greatest attention during the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, and few studies have studied the link between the COVID-19 lockdown and pre-existing mental health difficulties such as eating disorders (ED). Our main goal was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals suffering from ED.

Methods: We searched the online databases PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Springer for scientific articles published after September 2022 that studied the impact of coronavirus lockdowns on patients with ED. The authors analyzed 40 out of 76 publications that had the qualifying criteria. Most of these studies underline an increase in eating disorders prevalence and a list of associated behaviors related to the COVID-19 pandemic impact.

Results: Young adults are more prone to eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the individuals in hospital are suffered more from disordered eating behaviors. Disruption of lifestyle routine, social isolation, restricted access to customary support networks, limited or no access to healthcare and mental health services, and social anxiety were all related to symptomatic worsening in ED patients during COVID-19 lockdowns. We identified a large increase in hospitalizations during the pandemic, as well as an increase in EDs symptoms and mental health concerns among ED patients.

Conclusion: This study identifies children and adolescents, as well as adults with a history of an eating disorder, as particularly sensitive populations to the COVID-19 pandemic's effects. More research in understudied and minority populations is needed, as well as an examination of the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating behaviors.