Nine a week treated for malnutrition in Lothians

Published on Monday 11 May 2009 10:01

MORE patients suffering from malnutrition are now being treated in the Lothians than anywhere else in Scotland, with increasing cases of anorexia among young women being blamed.

New figures show that an average of nine such patients are treated in the Lothians every week – more than in poorer areas of the country.

Experts today have said that while diet was a factor, it is the growing numbers of younger females starving themselves thin that is really causing concern.

The Scottish Government's statistics division revealed that in 2008, 444 people were discharged from hospital with a diagnosis of malnutrition. Nutritional expert Dr Fred Pender, a research fellow at Edinburgh University, said such a huge number could not be linked to deprivation.

"We have noticed quite a rise in the number of girls who are suffering from anorexia, and the worrying thing is we are seeing it happen at a younger age than ever before," he said. "They see these celebrities in magazines and want to emulate them."

The definitions used to release the figures were citing those who were "underweight" and suffering from eating disorders, clinical nutritional deficiencies and malnutrition relating to diabetes.

There are other illnesses – like some forms of cancer – which provoke sudden weight loss, but those haven't been included because they are secondary symptoms.

Given that "poverty" isn't the food-barren predicament it used to be, added Dr Pender, it is unlikely anyone could be so poor as not to afford to eat. He said: "Anyone who loses five to ten per cent of their body weight in three months is considered malnourished.

"While deprivation can be linked to poor overall health, it isn't likely that people in poverty would be eating such small amounts that they would lose weight suddenly."

The Evening News revealed last week that plans were in place for a 12-bed unit at St John's Hospital in Livingston to provide specialist care for those with anorexia and bulimia. Lothians MSP Gavin Brown, whose parliamentary question prompted the statistics, said:

"The figures are worrying and need to be acted upon as a matter of urgency. Experts in this field need to be engaged by this government so that the situation can be turned around."

City nutritional therapist Sarah Stelling said other factors could be behind the large number of cases. "The fact is the more people there are eating junk and processed food the more likely they are, somewhere along the line, to find themselves malnourished. Lack of sunlight is also an issue in Scotland. There have been studies done showing the lack of Vitamin D that can cause."

Lynne Douglas, associate director for Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) at NHS Lothian, insisted Lothian was well placed to deal with such cases. "We have implemented a malnutrition screening tool to identify patients at risk. Then a personal nutrition care plan is put in place."

Obsession saw weight plunge

FOR teenager Hannah Fuller, it was an obsession about the way she looked that led to her develop anorexia. At one point the 14-year-old's weight dropped from eight stone to just under six stone.

"I just looked emaciated," Hannah, now 17, recalled.

In 2006 she was referred to a psychiatric hospital in Perth, where anorexia was diagnosed.

Eventually techniques such as hypnotherapy and counselling helped Hannah to beat the illness, and last year she was named Edinburgh Leisure's Healthiest Hero.

Now living in Kinross, Hannah plans to study art in Dundee.