Haematological changes and iron status in teenage girls with eating disorders and weight loss-the importance of menstrual status.
OBJECTIVE
To study haematological changes and iron stores in teenage girls with eating disorders and weight loss.


METHODS
Blood haemoglobin concentration, white blood cell and thrombocyte count and serum ferritin concentration were measured at assessments of 446 subjects.


RESULTS
Haemoglobin concentrations, leukocyte and thrombocyte counts were related to weight and rate of weight loss but were largely within reference ranges. Serum ferritin concentrations were high in girls with amenorrhea and related to weight and rate of weight loss. Girls who retained menstruations had low serum ferritin concentrations and 37% had depleted iron stores (serum ferritin<16 microg/L).


CONCLUSIONS
Anaemia, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia are uncommon in teenage girls with eating disorders and weight loss. When present, other diseases causing haematological changes should be considered. In amenorrhoic girls muscle catabolism increases serum ferritin concentrations which may give a false impression of an adequate iron status. This is unmasked in girls with retained menstruations who often have depleted iron stores.
Swenne
Ingemar
I
Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University Children's Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden. ingemar.swenne@akademiska.se
D000293:Adolescent; D000568:Amenorrhea / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008598:Menstruation / Q000097:blood; D010976:Platelet Count; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology*
D006454:Hemoglobins; D005293:Ferritins