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ABSTRACT Objective Evidence associates anorexia nervosa (AN) with epigenetic alterations that could contribute to illness risk or entrenchment. We investigated the extent to which AN is associated with a distinct methylation profile compared to that seen in normal-eater women. Method Genome-wide methylation profiles, obtained using DNA from whole blood, were determined in 29 women currently ill with AN (10 with AN-restrictive type, 19 with AN-binge/purge type) and 15 normal-weight, normal-eater control women, using 450 K Illumina bead arrays. Results Regardless of type, AN patients showed higher and less-variable global methylation patterns than controls. False Discovery Rate corrected comparisons identified 14 probes that were hypermethylated in women with AN relative to levels obtained in normal-eater controls, representing genes thought to be associated with histone acetylation, RNA modification, cholesterol storage and lipid transport, and dopamine and glutamate signaling. Age of onset was significantly associated with differential methylation in gene pathways involved in development of the brain and spinal cord, while chronicity of illness was significantly linked to differential methylation in pathways involved with synaptogenesis, neurocognitive deficits, anxiety, altered social functioning, and bowel, kidney, liver and immune function. Discussion Although pre-existing differences cannot be ruled out, our findings are consistent with the idea of secondary alterations in methylation at genomic regions pertaining to social-emotional impairments and physical sequelae that are commonly seen in AN patients. Further investigation is needed to establish the clinical relevance of the affected genes in AN, and, importantly, reversibility of effects observed with nutritional rehabilitation and treatment. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2015; 48:874-882) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to quantify the prevalence of non‐suicidal self‐injury across eating disorders (EDs) and within diagnostic categories through systematic review and proportional, or so‐called prevalence, meta‐analysis. Method: Included studies had to contain individuals with a verified diagnosis of an ED. The last literature search was conducted on September 11, 2023, for studies published on or before September 2023 without a restriction on earliest publication year. Results were synthesized and analyzed using the "metaprop" package in R and presented using forest plots. Bias was assessed by a Peters' regression test and funnel plot. Results: 79 studies published between 1985 and 2023 were included encompassing 32,334 individuals with an ED. Importantly, 42 studies were not included in any other meta‐analyses on self‐injury in EDs to date. Overall prevalence of non‐suicidal self‐injury was 34.59% (95%CI = 30.49–38.81). Prevalence in anorexia nervosa restrictive type, binge/purge type, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and other specified feeding/eating disorder were 23.19% (95%CI = 16.96–30.03%), 41.98% (95%CI = 32.35–51.91%), 36.97% (95%CI = 30.69–43.46%), 21.21% (95%CI = 14.93–28.12%) and 37.65% (95%CI = 28.59–47.09%), respectively. Prevalence estimations could not be estimated for other ED categories due to lack of a sufficient number of studies. Discussion: Non‐suicidal self‐injury is prevalent across both binge/purge and restrictive EDs. Considering the transdiagnostic nature of self‐injurious behaviors in ED, the results highlight the importance of assessment and monitoring of self‐injury in people with ED, irrespective of specific diagnoses. The method of determining self‐injury varied across studies and may limit this study. Public Significance: This study highlights the prevalence of self‐injury across eating disorders irrespective of diagnosis and within specific EDs. While diagnoses known to exhibit self‐injurious behaviors (e.g., bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa binge/purge subtype) demonstrated the highest prevalence of self‐injury, all diagnoses were found to have a prevalence greater than 20%. These findings suggest the importance of assessing and monitoring all individuals with an eating disorder for the presence of self‐injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]