There is limited evidence on the long-term development of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in eating disorders and its relation to eating disorder symptoms. Our objective was to measure long-term change in the HRQoL of eating disorder patients and compare it to normal population.

Fifty-four bulimia nervosa (BN) and forty-seven anorexia nervosa (AN) patients (ICD-10 diagnosis) entering treatment completed the 15D HRQoL questionnaire and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) before and approximately 8 years after the start of treatment.

Baseline HRQoL was severely impaired in the patients. During follow-up, mean HRQoL, body mass index (BMI) and EDI improved statistically significantly in both groups. BMI of AN patients reached normal values, but HRQoL was still severely impaired in both AN and BN compared to general population.

The long-term HRQoL after treatment continues to improve, but is still after 8 years poor. Eating disorders are very serious conditions with long-lasting impact on quality of life even after symptom remission.