Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved. C URRENT O PINION Epidemiology of eating disorders in Europe: prevalence, incidence, comorbidity, course, consequences, and risk factors Anna Keski-Rahkonen and Linda Mustelin Purpose of review Eating disorders – anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder – affect numerous Europeans. This narrative review summarizes European studies on their prevalence, incidence, comorbidity, course, consequences, and risk factors published in 2015 and the first half of 2016. Recent findings Anorexia nervosa is reported by <1–4%, bulimia nervosa <1–2%, binge eating disorder <1–4%, and subthreshold eating disorders by 2–3% of women in Europe. Of men, 0.3–0.7% report eating disorders. Incidences of anorexia appear stable, whereas bulimia may be declining. Although the numbers of individuals receiving treatment have increased, only about one-third is detected by healthcare. Over 70% of individuals with eating disorders report comorbid disorders: anxiety disorders (>50%), mood disorders (>40%), self-harm (>20%), and substance use (>10%) are common. The long-term course of anorexia nervosa is favorable for most, but a substantial minority of eating disorder patients experience longstanding symptoms and somatic problems. The risk of suicide is elevated. Parental psychiatric disorders, prenatal maternal stress, various family factors, childhood overweight, and body dissatisfaction in adolescence increase the risk of eating disorders. Summary Eating disorders are relatively common disorders that are often overlooked, although they are associated with high comorbidity and serious health consequences. Keywords anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, epidemiology, prognosis INTRODUCTION Eating disorders – anorexia nervosa, bulimia nerv- osa, and binge eating disorder – are complicated health problems that affect both the body and the mind. Their clinical presentations vary and diagno- ses are based on the criteria devised by experts. Diagnostic definitions have changed over time, most recently in 2013 [1]. A basic requirement for advances in the detection and treatment of eating disorders is a better under- standing of their epidemiology. Epidemiology stud- ies the distribution and determinants of health problems in the population. Like news reporters, epidemiologists attempt to answer five basic ques- tions – who, what, when, where, and why. In prac- tical terms, it means studying the onset, prevalence, comorbidity, course, consequences, and risk factors of eating disorders. Our initial understanding of these is often based on anecdotal observations and case series. Using information tracked by clinical data- bases, healthcare registries, and community-based surveys, the estimates become more accurate. The purpose of this narrative review is to sum- marize findings from epidemiological studies of eat- ing disorders conducted in Europe that were published in 2015 and the first half of 2016. Methods To review the literature on the epidemiology of eating disorders in Europe, we searched PubMed Department of Public Health, Clinicum, University of Helsinki, Finland Correspondence to Dr Anna Keski-Rahkonen, MD, PhD, MPH, PO Box 20, Tukholmankatu 8, Biomedicum 2B 5th Floor, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland. E-mail: anna.keski-rahkonen@helsinki.fi Curr Opin Psychiatry 2016, 29:340–345 DOI:10.1097/YCO.0000000000000278 www.co-psychiatry.com Volume 29  Number 6  November 2016 REVIEW