Case-control study, 1997
Are PMDD and eating disorders related?
Possibly. PMDD and eating disorders share high rates of mood and anxiety disorders and a personality trait called harm avoidance, but this small study cannot confirm they share a common cause.
What they did
Case-control study comparing 12 women with PMDD (mean age 28) to 10 with eating disorders (mean age 25) and 10 healthy controls matched for age. Used diagnostic interviews, personality questionnaires, and eating attitude tests.
What they found
Women with PMDD and eating disorders both had high rates of mood and anxiety disorders. 16.6 percent of women with PMDD also had eating disorders, compared to 2.3 percent in the general population. Both groups had significantly higher harm avoidance (a personality trait linked to serotonin) than controls.
What it means for you
PMDD and eating disorders may have some shared features, but this was a small study. Much larger research is needed to determine whether they truly share the same biological cause.
12
Women with PMDD
16.6%
PMDD women with comorbid eating disorder
2.3%
Rate in general population
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder and eating disorders
- Authors
- Verri A, Nappi RE, Vallero E et al.
- Journal
- Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache
- Year
- 1997
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 10
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1177/0333102497017s2008
Topics
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