Parents are being warned to look for signs of eating disorders in their kids as hospital admissions for the conditions rocket.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s alert comes as hospital cases are up a third in two years.
NHS figures for England show about a 32% rise in all ages from 16,547 in 2017 to 21,794 last year.
For youngsters aged 18 and under, the increase in the same period was more than 19%, from 4,160 to 4,962 admissions.
Doctors fear Covid may be worsening the situation due to reduced access to services.
Dr Simon Chapman, a consultant paediatrician at London’s King’s College Hospital, said: “I have never known us so busy.
"Referrals since March have tripled.”
Dr Nancy Bostock, of Croft Child and Family Unit in Cambridge, has seen a four-fold increase in kids referred with eating disorders but fears “they are the tip of the iceberg”.
The RCPCH said many NHS lists to treat the conditions are getting “completely overwhelmed”.
Tom Madders, of the charity YoungMinds, said: “The pandemic is deepening the crisis in young people’s mental health.”
The most common types of eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating.
