Increased fasting plasma ghrelin levels in patients with bulimia nervosa.
OBJECTIVE
Fasting plasma ghrelin levels play an important role in the pathophysiology of the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. Bulimia nervosa (BN) also has been associated with abnormal neuroendocrine regulation. Thus, we examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and plasma ghrelin concentrations in patients with BN for the first time.


METHODS
The subjects included 15 female BN patients and 11 female healthy volunteers (controls). Fasting blood samples were collected from all subjects.


RESULTS
The plasma ghrelin concentrations in all subjects demonstrated a significantly negative correlation with BMI. Mean plasma ghrelin level in BN patients was significantly higher than that in the controls, though mean BMIs between the groups were not significantly different.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that not only BMI but also abnormal eating behaviors with habitual binge eating and purging may have some influence on circulating ghrelin level in BN.
Tanaka
Muneki
M
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Kagoshima University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Sakuragaoka, 8-35-1, Kagoshima-City 890-8520, Japan. muneki@m3.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
Naruo
Tetsuro
T
Muranaga
Tetsuro
T
Yasuhara
Daisuke
D
Shiiya
Tomomi
T
Nakazato
Masamitsu
M
Matsukura
Shigeru
S
Nozoe
Shin-Ichi
S
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002032:Bulimia / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D010455:Peptides / Q000097:blood*
D054439:Ghrelin; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D010455:Peptides; D019382:Human Growth Hormone