Bulimia, an eating disorder characterized by binging and purging food, is five times more common among girls who have been sexually abused, according to a new study from Australia. Researchers at the University of Melbourne found no connection between sexual abuse and anorexia nervosa, another common eating disorder.

Dr. George Patton and his colleagues looked at the records of 999 girls over a three-year period, beginning when the girls were about 15 years old. Within that group, 121 reported being sexually abused at least once before age 16, and 82 reported two or more such incidents. The girls in the latter group had a 4.9 times higher risk for bulimia.

American studies from 2000 and 2004 found no clear link between childhood sexual abuse and eating disorders.

Dr. Patton said that sexual abuse might start up a pattern of dealing with emotional distress that results in bulimia.

This study appears in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Labels: abuse, causes of eating disorders, emotions