Prediction of low body weight at long-term follow-up in acute anorexia nervosa by low body weight at referral.
OBJECTIVE
The authors investigated the hypothesis that in acute anorexia nervosa a low body weight predicts a poor weight prognosis for the future.


METHODS
The body mass indexes at referral of 272 female patients were examined in relation to the body mass indexes of these patients after a mean follow-up of 9.5 years.


RESULTS
The overall correlation between body mass indexes at referral and at follow-up was r = 0.33. Despite this low correlation, the 100 patients with body mass indexes less than 13 kg/m2 at referral had low weights at long-term follow-up. Eleven of the 12 deceased patients were among these 100 patients, as were 24 of the 46 surviving patients whose body mass indexes were 17.5 kg/m2 or less at follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
For patients with anorexia nervosa, a body mass index less than 13 kg/m2 at referral indicates a substantial risk for chronic anorexia nervosa and death related to emaciation.
Hebebrand
J
J
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Germany. Hebebran@post.med.uni-marburg.de
Himmelmann
G W
GW
Herzog
W
W
Herpertz-Dahlmann
B M
BM
Steinhausen
H C
HC
Amstein
M
M
Seidel
R
R
Deter
H C
HC
Remschmidt
H
H
Schäfer
H
H
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D004614:Emaciation / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors