title: The predictive value of body mass index for the weight evolution in anorexia nervosa.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low body weight is considered to be an important risk factor for poor outcome in anorexia nervosa (AN).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the relationship between body mass index (BMI) at the beginning of treatment and at follow-up. A BMI of 13 kg/m2 at admission was hypothesized as cut-off point for better versus worse evolution of weight after treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  The BMI of 232 female AN inpatients was calculated at admission and after 6 months and 1 year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An overall low correlation between BMI at admission and at 6 months (r = 0.27) and 1 year (r = 0.26) follow-up was found. A BMI value of 15 kg/m2 at admission was revealed as the best cut-off point for making predictions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with an admission BMI below 15 kg/m2 have a significantly greater chance to develop a lower BMI value at follow-up than those with a higher BMI.
authors.affiliation: University Centre St-Jozef, Kortenberg, Belgium.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pintér
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Probst
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Vandereycken
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pieters
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goris
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D015430:Weight Gain