[Seeking compulsory treatment as life-saving in the presence of eating disorders: a complex choice].

Eating disorders (and especially anorexia nervosa) are associated with severe disability, poor quality of life and high mortality rate. Anorexia nervosa ranks among the main causes of death among young women. Despite physical and psycho-social impairment, patients suffering from anorexia nervosa do not recognize low body weight and extreme calorie restriction as a clinical problem and are ambivalent towards treatment.

The Domains of Human Nutrition: The Importance of Nutrition Education in Academia and Medical Schools.

Human nutrition encompasses an extremely broad range of medical, social, commercial, and ethical domains and thus represents a wide, interdisciplinary scientific and cultural discipline. The high prevalence of both disease-related malnutrition and overweight/obesity represents an important risk factor for disease burden and mortality worldwide. It is the opinion of Federation of the Italian Nutrition Societies (FeSIN) that these two sides of the same coin, with their sociocultural background, are related to a low "nutritional culture" secondary, at least in part, to an insufficient academic training for health-care professionals (HCPs).

Metabolic and nutritional needs to normalize body mass index by doubling the admission body weight in severe anorexia nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa exhibits one of the highest death rates among psychiatric patients and a relevant fraction of it is derived from undernutrition. Nutritional and medical treatment of extreme undernutrition present two very complex and conflicting tasks: (1) to avoid "refeeding syndrome" caused by a too fast correction of malnutrition; and (2) to avoid "underfeeding" caused by a too cautious refeeding. To obtain optimal treatment results, the caloric intake should be planned starting with indirect calorimetry measurements and electrolyte abnormalities accurately controlled and treated.

Enteral nutrition for feeding severely underfed patients with anorexia nervosa.

Severe undernutrition nearly always leads to marked changes in body spaces (e.g., alterations of intra-extracellular water) and in body masses and composition (e.

Fluid intake and nutritional risk in non-critically ill patients at hospital referral.

The association between hyporexia/anorexia, reduced food intake and disease-related malnutrition at hospital admission is well established. However, information on fluid intake according to nutritional risk has never been provided. Thus, we assessed the attitude and adequacy of fluid intake among case-mix hospitalised patients according to nutritional risk.

Specialized refeeding treatment for anorexia nervosa patients suffering from extreme undernutrition.

Background & Aims: Refeeding severely malnourished patients with Anorexia nervosa requires specialized in-patient treatment to reduce medical risks, to avoid refeeding syndrome and other life-threatening situations.

Methods: The authors present a retrospective cohort nutritional rehabilitation study of 33 very severe Anorexia nervosa in-patients, aged 22.8 ± 7.

Practices in relation to nutritional care and support--report from the Council of Europe.

Disease-related undernutrition is significant in European hospitals but is seldom treated. In 1999, the Council of Europe decided to collect information regarding Nutrition programmes in hospitals and for this purpose a network consisting of national experts from 12 of the Partial Agreement member states was established. The aim was to review the current practice in Europe regarding hospital food provision, to highlight deficiencies and to issue recommendations in improve the nutritional care and support of hospitalised patients.