A study of bone density change in patients with anorexia nervosa.
In patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) several factors combine to cause osteoporosis, and the risk of osteoporosis increases with chronicity of illness. The authors carried out a follow-up study in patients who attended the Eating Disorders department of the Hospital de Santa Maria. The average follow-up period was of 7.6 years. Fifteen patients were included. Patients answered clinical history questions and underwent neck of femur and spine densitometry. The most important variable with negative correlations to bone recovery was disease duration. A positive correlation between bone recovery and time since the first menstrual cycle post-amenorrhea was also found. However, AN is a condition in which once weight improves and menstrual cycles become regular, severe damage to bone structure is still likely to be maintained.
University of Lisbon Medical School, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal. isabel.carmo@netcabo.pt
Isabel
I
do Carmo
Mário
M
Mascarenhas
Ana
A
Macedo
Armanda
A
Silva
Inês
I
Santos
Dulce
D
Bouça
John
J
Myatt
Daniel
D
Sampaio
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015519:Bone Density; D001851:Bone Diseases, Metabolic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index