title: Differential dynamic responses of luteinizing hormone to gonadotropin releasing hormone in patients affected by bulimia nervosa-purging versus non-purging type.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Ramacciotti
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guidi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bondi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Coli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dell'Osso
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pistoia
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pucci
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone