Assessment of sex differences in bone deficits among adolescents with anorexia nervosa.
The objective of this study was to compare sex differences in bone deficits among adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) and to identify other correlates of bone health.



Electronic medical records of all patients 9-20 years of age with a DSM-5 diagnosis of AN who were evaluated by the eating disorders program at Stanford with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) between March 1997 and February 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Whole body bone mineral content Z-scores and bone mineral density (BMD) Z-scores at multiple sites were recorded using the Bone Mineral Density in Childhood Study (BMDCS) reference data.



A total of 25 males and 253 females with AN were included, with median age 15 years (interquartile range [IQR] 14-17) and median duration of illness 9 months (IQR 5-13). Using linear regression analyses, no significant sex differences in bone deficits were found at the lumbar spine, total hip, femoral neck, or whole body when controlling for age, %mBMI, and duration of illness. Lower %mBMI was significantly associated with bone deficits at all sites in adjusted models.



This is the first study to evaluate sex differences in bone health among adolescents with AN, using novel DSM-5 criteria for AN and robust BMDCS reference data. We find no significant sex differences in bone deficits among adolescents with AN except for a higher proportion of females with femoral neck BMD Z-scores <-1. Degree of malnutrition was correlated with bone deficits at all sites. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.(Int J Eat Disord 2017; 50:352-358).
Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California.
Jason M
0000-0002-6541-0604
JM
Nagata
Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California.
Neville H
NH
Golden
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rebecka
R
Peebles
Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California.
Jin
J
Long
Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California.
Mary B
MB
Leonard
Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California.
Audrey O
AO
Chang
Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California.
Jennifer L
JL
Carlson
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005272:Femur Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D055815:Young Adult
DXA; anorexia nervosa; bone density; bone health; dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; eating disorders; sex differences