Eating Disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorders

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This is an observational study where patients with eating disorders (ED) are compared with healthy controls without eating disorder (HC) regarding eating disorders features and autism spectrum features. Also patients will be reassessed after 5 years.

Detailed Description
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The first author who suggested that eating disorders (EAD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) share common features was Christopher Gilberg in 1980. Currently it is known that patients with ED have social impairment, which is also a risk marker to develop ED, eating disturbances are overrepresented in ASD, ED and ASD have common behavioural features such as rigidity, perfectionism, and harm avoidance; and common cognitive profiles such as inflexibility, high attention to detail, high scores in systemizing profiles and poor results in advanced theory of mind tests. This relationship is also supported by similar neural phenotypes such as atypical structure and function in social brain regions found in both disorders. The aim of the present study is to explore the relationship between ED and ASD traits in a sample of Spanish participants diagnosed with AN, bulimia nervosa (BN), binge-eating disorder (BED) and other eating disorders (OED). Specifically, the investigators aim to explore possible differences within the different ED and its particular transdiagnostic features in association with autistic traits. The sample will consist of 90 patients with ED and 45 healthy controls (HC) without any current or lifetime history of mental disorder, both groups will be compared regarding ED and ASD features. Also patients will be reassessed in a 5 year follow up.

Official Title
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Characterization and Relationship Between Eating Disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Conditions
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Eating Disorders

Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Being Diagnosed with ED Exclusion Criteria: language or intellectual impairment

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| ED<br>Patients with Eating Disorders | |
| HC<br>Healthy Controls without eating disorders | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Autism Spectrum Quotient | A self report measure of autism traits. Its values range from 0 to 50. Higher scores mean higher autistic traits. | one year | 
| Eating Disorders Inventory | A self report measure of Eating Disorders characteristics. Its values range from 0 to 192, higher values mean higher eating disorders symptomatology. | one year | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bulimic Investigatory Test Edinburgh | A self report measure of bulimic symptoms where higher scores mean more bulimic symptomatology. Scores range from 0 and 78. | one year | 
| Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire | The Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q) is a self-report measure designed to enable investigators to easily obtain sensitive measures of the degree of enjoyment and satisfaction experienced by subjects in various areas of daily functioning. Its values range from 93 to 465. Higher values mean higher quality of life. | one year | 
| Beck Depression Inventory | a self report measure of depression symptomatology. Scores rang form 0 to 63, higher scores mean more depressive symptomatology. | one year | 
| Scale Unawareness of Mental Disorders. | A scale to asess awareness of mental disorders where higher punctuation mean higher levels of unawareness of the disorder. Scores range from 20 to 100. | one year | 
| Body Shape Questionnaire | A a self-report measure of the body shape preoccupations typical of bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Higher scores mean higher concern with shape. Score range from 34 to 204. | one year | 
| Rosenberg Self -Esteem Scale | A self report measure of self esteem. Its scores range from 10 to 40 where higher scores mean higher self -esteem | one year | 
| State Trait Anxiety Inventory | A self report measure of anxiety symptomatology. It has two scores one for state of anxiety and another for trait of anxiety, each subscale values range from 0 to 60, higher scores mean higher state or trait of anxiety. | one year | 
| Inventory of interpersonal problems personality disorder | A self report measure which is used to identify problems associated with particular personality disorders. Its values range from 0 to 256, higher scores mean higher interpersonal problems. | one year | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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eating disorders, autism spectrum disorders