Abstract:
Elite athletes are exposed to a considerable amount of physical and psychological stress throughout their entire professional life, but the exploration of the consequences of this stressful regimen on mental health is still in its early stages. Eating disorders (EDs), substance use disorders, and behavioral addictions represent only several domains that are worth more investigation in this vulnerable population, in order to find preventative and therapeutic strategies. The exploration of EDs in athletes is important because this population is very vulnerable to the impact that weight and body shape may have on their professional performances, and epidemiological studies support this concern, i.e., the prevalence of EDs in athletes is significantly higher than in the general population. This article is dedicated to the synthesis of available data regarding a specific pathology reported in elite athletes, i.e., anorexia athletica (AA), based on a narrative reviewing methodology. The information about risk factors, pathophysiology, positive and differential diagnosis, epidemiology, structured evaluation, and treatment of AA have been summarized and future research directions have been highlighted. While tentative diagnostic criteria for AA and a self-administered questionnaire exist, its pathophysiology is still insufficiently explored, and the treatment is not based on good-quality trials. According to the retrieved data, more research targeting the physical and mental health of elite athletes, especially those practicing esthetic sports, is needed, in order to implement adequate screening and early intervention programs. Future studies targeting various sub-populations of elite athletes, i.e., esthetic vs. non-esthetic sports, individuals presenting a history of ED vs. those without such a history, and those practicing individual sports vs. team sports are needed to reach the objective of improving the quality of life in this population.
摘要:
精英运动员在整个职业生涯中都面临着相当多的身体和心理压力,但是对这种压力疗法对心理健康的影响的探索仍处于早期阶段。进食障碍(ED),物质使用障碍,行为成瘾只代表了几个领域,值得在这个脆弱的人群中进行更多的调查,为了找到预防和治疗策略。在运动员中探索ED很重要,因为该人群非常容易受到体重和体型可能对他们的职业表现产生的影响,流行病学研究支持这种担忧,即,运动员中ED的患病率明显高于普通人群.本文致力于对精英运动员中报告的特定病理的可用数据进行综合,即,运动厌食症(AA),基于叙事审查方法。关于风险因素的信息,病理生理学,阳性和鉴别诊断,流行病学,结构化评估,并对AA的治疗进行了总结,并指出了未来的研究方向。虽然存在AA的暂定诊断标准和自我管理问卷,其病理生理学仍未得到充分探索,治疗并不是基于高质量的试验。根据检索到的数据,更多针对精英运动员身心健康的研究,尤其是那些从事审美运动的人,是需要的,以便实施充分的筛查和早期干预计划。未来的研究针对精英运动员的各种亚群,即,审美与非审美运动,个人呈现ED的历史与那些没有这样历史的人,那些练习个人运动的人需要团队运动来达到改善该人群生活质量的目标。