Studies reveal an increase in hospital admissions among adolescents with eating disorders (ED) during the pandemic. In this study, we aimed to reveal the change in ED admissions during the pandemic in Hacettepe University İhsan Doğramacı Children's Hospital Division of Adolescent Medicine.

Medical records were retrospectively analyzed in two periods, June 2019-February 2020 (before the pandemic) and June 2021-February 2022 (during the pandemic). Patients diagnosed with ED during these periods were compared.

While the patients diagnosed with ED were 1.2% (46/3708) before the pandemic, it was 2.2% (69/3149) in the pandemic (p=0.003). There was an increase in the diagnosis of atypical anorexia nervosa and male ED during the pandemic, but it was not statistically significant (respectively,before and during pandemic 6.5% vs 17.3, p=0.280; 2.2% vs 11.6%, p=0.065)

This study showed an increase in ED admissions during the pandemic in our clinic, emphasizing the impact of the pandemic on the onset of ED in adolescents.

Keywords: COVID 19, pandemic, eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, adolescent health