NEW HYPOTHESES - Exploring the association between anorexia nervosa and geographical latitude
R. Vazquez*, O. Carrera*, L. Birmingham**, and E. Gutierrez*
*Departamento de Psicología Clinica y Psicobiología, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and **Department of Psychiatry, Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences, St. Paul's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Objective: This paper explores the relationship between anorexia nervosa (AN) and climate by mapping the distribution of references of AN in the literature at different latitudes. Method: The distributions of the bibliographic references of two medical disorders -psoriasis and cataracts-, and four mental disorders -AN, anxiety disorders, seasonal affective disorders, and schizophrenia- were mapped according to the institutional affiliation of their first author. Results: The distribution of references to AN was quite similar to the mental and medical disorders associated to high latitudes, although references to AN were more frequent in the range of 40º-55º in the Northern Hemisphere. Discussion: The psychosocial and sociocultural features of ‘cultures’ do not exhaust the factors defining the environment in which we live. Our findings indicate that climatic parameters, such as latitude may be a relevant factor in the occurrence of AN. (Eating Weight Disord. 11: e1-e8, 2006). ©2006, Editrice Kurtis

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