High risk of osteoporosis in male patients with eating disorders.
OBJECTIVE
Osteoporosis has traditionally been considered a female problem. This study's purpose is to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) in males with eating disorders.


METHODS
Charts of 70 consecutive males admitted to an eating disorder program were reviewed. Females admitted during the same time period were used for comparison. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.


RESULTS
Thirty-six percent (19/53) had osteopenia and 26% (14/53) had osteoporosis at the lumbar spine. A disproportionate number of males with anorexia restricting or binge/purge subtype (ANR/ANB) had osteoporosis, as well as those of older age, lower weights, and longer illness duration. BMD for ANR and ANB males was significantly lower than females (p = .02 and p = .03, respectively). In multivariate stepwise linear and logistic regression, lowest BMI and illness duration predicted lumbar Z-scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Males with ANR/ANB often have severe bone disease, which is worse than females, and is best predicted by a patient's lowest BMI and illness duration.
Mehler
Philip S
PS
Department of Internal Medicine, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, Colorado 80204, USA. pmehler@dhha.org
Sabel
Allison L
AL
Watson
Tureka
T
Andersen
Arnold E
AE
D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000150:complications; D015519:Bone Density; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000150:complications; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa / Q000453:epidemiology; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors