Differential dynamic responses of luteinizing hormone to gonadotropin releasing hormone in patients affected by bulimia nervosa-purging versus non-purging type.
OBJECTIVE
Aim of the study was to investigate the presence of underlying abnormalities affecting the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis in 13 normal weight eumenhorreic bulimics as expressed by a different gonadotropin response to gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), comparing patients with (n = 6) and without (n = 7) purging behaviours to controls (n = 5).


METHODS
Subjects were administered an intravenous GnRH infusion for four hours, with an additional bolus at first and third hour.


RESULTS
Non-purging bulimics showed a significantly reduced luteinizing hormone (LH) response to GnRH compared to controls; purging bulimics, following the second bolus, demonstrated a statistically reduced peak, in comparison to both controls and non-purging bulimics.


CONCLUSIONS
even in the absence of overt menstrual disturbances, an altered LH secretion elicited by pulsatile stimulation of endogenous GnRH was found, with a more severe impairment in purging than in non-purging bulimics, possibly related to their greater psychopathological and physical burden.
Ramacciotti
C E
CE
Institute of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Italy.
Guidi
L
L
Bondi
E
E
Coli
E
E
Dell'Osso
L
L
Pistoia
S
S
Pucci
E
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000568:Amenorrhea / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism
D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone