Sémiologie et classification des troubles du comportement alimentaire

Despite the increasing incidence of Eating Disorders (ED), these disorders remain barely diagnosed. Beyond the full syndromic pattern of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, which are clearly defined, the array of ED comprises several patterns of eating behavior disturbances of either restrictive or compulsive symptoms, or a combination of both. Available classificatory systems consider ED as psychiatric disorders. The non-syndromic forms of ED (atypical ED), although being the most prevalent ED are less well defined. Moreover, present classifications do not grade the severity of EDs nor their somatic and psychiatric complications. Patients with EDs need a comprehensive, physical and psychiatric, clinical evaluation that allows the differential diagnosis of EDs from food intake disturbances secondary to other diseases. Early detection of ED is needed, and may be facilitated by the use of screening test such as the SCOFF-F before the constitution of full syndromic and more severe clinical patterns.