Cartwright A, et al. - This study was initiated to formally define sudden gains (SGs) in anorexia nervosa and investigate the characteristics, demographic and baseline clinical predictors, and clinical impact of SGs in anorexia nervosa. The results of this study revealed that SGs in body mass index (BMI) during the outpatient treatment of anorexia nervosa were clinically valuable predictors of longer-term weight outcomes.

Methods

• This is a secondary analysis of information from eighty-nine outpatients with broadly defined anorexia nervosa who received one of two psychotherapeutic interventions as part of the MOSAIC trial.
• SGs were characterized utilizing session-by-session body mass index (BMI) measures.
• This examination explored whether SGs were related to changes in BMI, eating disorder symptomology, general psychopathology, and psychosocial impairment between baseline and 6, 12, and 24 months follow-up.

Results

• It was observed in the findings that SGs, experienced by 61.8% of patients, mostly occurred during the early and middle phases of treatment.
• The data presented in this work showed a larger proportion of SGs anticipated larger increases in BMI between baseline and 6, 12, and 24 months follow-up.
• Fewer days between baseline and a patient's first SG anticipated a larger increase in BMI between baseline and both 6 and 12 months follow-up amongst those experiencing at least one SG.
• The proportion and timing of SGs did not anticipate changes in other result measures.