{
  "abstract": "Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is characterized by restricted food intake and limited variation of diet, often resulting in suboptimal nutrition and poor growth. Despite being considered a new diagnosis (emerging from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition) it’s prevalence in the paediatric population is increasing, with some studies suggesting it affects 1 in every 5-20 children 1 Paediatric feeding disorder (PFD) is a similar disorder which is considered to overlap some aspects of ARFID, and work has been done to distinguish the two from each other.2We retrospectively reviewed medical records of all patients diagnosed with ARFID within the last 10 years at our paediatric tertiary hospital based in the UK, to see if they currently fulfil the ARFID diagnostic criteria, or whose symptoms are more aligned with PFD. We also reviewed any potential vitamin and trace metal deficiencies at the time of diagnosis (copper, zinc, selenium, vitamins A, E, D, and B12 + folate) and then exploring any comorbidities these patient groups may have, specifically neurodivergent (ADHD, ASD, Anxiety and sensory processing difficulties).We reviewed the medical records of 269 patients in total, 220 diagnosed with ARFID and 49 PFD. 80(36%) of patients diagnosed with ARFID suffered from 1 or more vitamin deficiency at diagnosis, with 13(27%) patients with PFD suffering the same. Interestingly, within our patient cohort we found a high number of patients diagnosed with neurodivergent conditions, particularly Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and sensory processing difficulties. This was more prevalent in the ARFID cohort compared to those with PFD, with ASD diagnosis found in 105(48%) of patients and sensory processing difficulties found in 90(41%) of patients. However, both ARFID and PFD demonstrated cohorts of patients who suffered from 1 or more neurodivergent condition; ARFID 31(14%) PFD 14(29%). Interestingly, 47 patients in total required Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) for ongoing nutrition management due to the severity of their condition.Our service evaluation provided insightful data regarding the management of these patient groups, and areas we can support them more comprehensively (nutrition/vitamin/trace metals) at diagnosis. One area to pay particular attention to is neurodivergence, especially in ARFID where this seems to play a more direct role in dietary management. Further studies are needed to explore these factors in more detail.References Smyth M, Hudson LD. The presentation of avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) in children with complex backgrounds. Paediatrics and Child Health 2025;35(9).Estrem H, Pederson J, Dodrill P, Romeo C, Thompson K, Thomas J, Zucker N, Noel R, Zickgraf H, Menzel J, Lukens C, Goday P, MacLaughlin S, Sharp W. A US-based consensus on diagnostic overlap and distinction for pediatric feeding disorder and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. International Journal of Eating Disorders 2025;58.Abstract OC72 Table 1ARFIDPFDNumber of patients22049Patients with 1 or more vitamin deficiencies8013Copper70Zinc10Selenium40Vitamin A322Vitamin E31Vitamin D3310B1200Folic acid00Autism10514ADHD91Sensory processing difficulties9025Anxiety2832 or more of the above conditions3114",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust"
      ],
      "name": "Shaun Emmitt"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "The University of Sheffield"
      ],
      "name": "Aabha Jawadekar"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "The University of Sheffield"
      ],
      "name": "Olivia Graham"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust"
      ],
      "name": "Sunita Rajani"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust"
      ],
      "name": "Zuzana Londt"
    }
  ],
  "title": "OC72 Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and paediatric feeding disorder in a tertiary paediatric centre – a service evaluation",
  "uid": "7d3f5b3f-42cd-56da-b033-f61f208471c9"
}