To date, there is very little information on the presentation or clinical characteristics of patients with ARFID.
A recent study suggests that rates of ARFID observed in pediatric eating disorder teams is approximately 14%, although there are no studies as of yet which show how common the eating disorder is outside of hospital settings.
Recent estimates suggest that between 1 and 4% of females will suffer from bulimia at some point in their lives.
Patients with ARFID appear to be younger than those generally referred to eating disorder programs and they seem to experience problems with development and function that puts them at risk for severe medical complications.
They tend to struggle with anxiety, and also present with high rates of depression.
Some patients with ARFID will eventually go on to have anorexia nervosa, although the percentage of patients that this occurs in appears to be small.
A. An eating or feeding disturbance (e.g. apparent lack of interest in eating or food; avoidance based on the sensory characteristics of food; concern about aversive consequences of eating) as manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs associated with one or more of the following:
1. Significant weight loss (or failure to achieve expected weight gain or faltering growth in children).
2. Significant nutritional deficiency
3. Dependence on enteral feeding or oral nutritional supplements
4. Marked interference with psychosocial functioning.
B. The disturbance is not better explained by lack of available food or by an associated culturally sanctioned practice.
C. The disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, and there is no evidence of a disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced.
D. The eating disturbance cannot be better explained by another medical or mental health condition. When the eating disturbance occurs in the context of another condition or disorder, the severity of the eating disturbance exceeds that routinely associated with the condition or disorder and warrants additional clinical attention.