We usually think of anorexia nervosa (AN) and other eating disorders (ED) as primarily psychological conditions. However there is a surprising amount of evidence suggesting that autoimmunity has something to do with it. Some autoantibodies can have a direct effect on brain neurons causing obvious behavioural disorders, as a seen in PANDAS (paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections): indeed some PANDAS-type cases have been reported to have acute-onset anorexia. Two large population based studies from Scandinavia throw some light on this puzzling association.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.