title: Anorexia nervosa and bone metabolism.
abstract: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by self-induced starvation with a lifetime prevalence of 2.2% in women. The most common medical co-morbidity in women with AN is bone loss, with over 85% of women having bone mineral density values more than one standard deviation below an age comparable mean. The low bone mass in AN is due to multiple hormonal adaptations to under nutrition, including hypothalamic amenorrhea and growth hormone resistance. Importantly, this low bone mass is also associated with a seven-fold increased risk of fracture. Therefore, strategies to effectively prevent bone loss and increase bone mass are critical. We will review hormonal adaptations that contribute to bone loss in this population as well as promising new therapies that may increase bone mass and reduce fracture risk in AN.
authors.affiliation: Neuroendocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States. Electronic address: pkfazeli@partners.org.
authors.forename: Pouneh K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Fazeli
authors.affiliation: Neuroendocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klibanski
mesh_terms: D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D015519:Bone Density; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D009929:Organ Size; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Bone mineral density