The hematology of anorexia nervosa.
OBJECTIVE
Changes of the peripheral blood cell count in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) are frequent. Anemia and leukopenia are observed in one-third of these patients. Examination of the bone marrow reveals in almost 50% of the patients with AN signs of bone marrow atrophy and can additionally suffer from a gelatinous bone marrow transformation.


METHODS
Published studies and investigations concerning hematological changes in patients with AN were reviewed.


RESULTS
Anemia and mild neutropenia are detectable in almost one-third of these patients, whereas thrombocytopenia is rather uncommon. The exact mechanism for these findings is still unclear, but 50% of AN-patients with hematological changes display morphological signs of partial bone marrow atrophy.


CONCLUSIONS
Changes of the peripheral blood cell count in patients with AN is a frequent observation but the peripheral blood cell count cannot predict the severity of bone marrow atrophy. All hematological and morphological alterations disappear completely and rapidly after sufficient refeeding.
Hütter
Gero
G
Department of Internal Medicine III Hematology, Oncology, and Transfusion Medicine, Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany. gero.huetter@charite.de
Ganepola
Susanne
S
Hofmann
Wolf-K
WK
D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D001284:Atrophy; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology*; D004920:Erythropoiesis; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology
D006025:Glycosaminoglycans