Metabolic Risk Among Adults With Binge Eating Disorder: Findings From a Retrospective Cohort Study

Individuals with binge eating disorder (BED) are at increased risk of developing symptoms of metabolic syndrome. In this retrospective cohort study, adult BED patients were identified using natural language processing of clinical notes sourced from the Optum electronic health record database from January 1, 2009 to September 30, 2015. To examine metabolic risk, the onset of metabolic-related comorbidities and laboratory and blood pressure (BP) changes were estimated during the post-index date follow-up period (ie, date of first recognition of BED in the study period). Framingham risk scores were calculated to assess 10-year cardiovascular disease risk. In this BED cohort (N=1042), mean ± SD body mass index was 41.9±11.1 kg/m2. During the 12 months before and including the index date, frequencies of metabolic-related comorbidities were 45.8% for hypertension, 44.0% for hyperlipidemia, and 25.0% for type 1 or 2 diabetes. Within the first year after the index date, frequencies of newly diagnosed metabolic-related comorbidities were 6.2% for hyperlipidemia, 5.4% for obesity/overweight, 4.1% for hypertension, and 2.0% for type 1 or 2 diabetes. Laboratory and vital sign changes (mean ± SD) from baseline during the first year after the index date were –0.3%±1.2% for hemoglobin A1c; –6.8±31.8 and –14.1±80.5 mg/dL for total cholesterol and triglycerides, respectively; 9.8±38.8 mg/dL for fasting blood sugar; and –1.6±16.0 and –1.5±10.7 mm Hg for systolic and diastolic BP, respectively. Framingham risk score increased by 2.4%±7.0%. These findings suggest BED patients exhibited increased metabolic risk as measured by new-onset metabolic-related comorbidities during the first year after the index date.

This poster was presented at the 32nd annual Psych Congress, held Oct. 3-6, 2019, in San Diego, California.