Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): Review of Case Studies

Resumen

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) has a complex clinical presentation. Since its recognition in the DSM-5, investigations have been carried out that provide data of this condition, however, its treatment has mostly been reported in case studies. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to analyze the clinical characteristics and aspects related to the treatments of studies and case series of ARFID from a literature review. The review was carried out according to the PRISMA and CARE guidelines. In total, 41 articles were examined, most of the reported cases were men (53.85%) with ages between 10 to 13 (29.23%), however, 15.38% of the cases had an age range of 20 to 56. Regarding their symptoms, the most frequent was underweight (66.15%), although it is important to highlight that 3.08% of these patients were overweight linked to carbohydrate consumption. On the other hand, the most frequent psychiatric comorbidities were anxiety disorders (38.46%). Lastly, the most widely used was hospital treatment (46.34%), with a multidisciplinary approach (65.85%) and as for the most used psychological intervention was Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (21.95%).