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Reduced febrile response to bacterial infection in anorexia nervosa patients
Author(s) -
Birmingham C. Laird,
Hodgson Deborah M.,
Fung Jonathan,
Brown Rhonda,
Wakefield Alison,
Bartrop Roger,
Beumont Pierre
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.10189
Subject(s) - anorexia nervosa , medicine , anorexia , hospital admission , pediatrics , immune system , eating disorders , immunology , psychiatry
Objective To report a reduced febrile response to bacterial infections in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients. Method Four cases were obtained from a retrospective review of charts from the St. Paul's Hospital Eating Disorders Program (Vancouver, Canada). The patients had died or had been admitted to the hospital for treatment of a bacterial infection. In addition, one case was obtained from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (Sydney, Australia). Results All patients suffered a bacterial infection during the course of AN. None of the patients had a temperature higher than 37°C during the infectious illness. Discussion The absence of fever in AN may delay the diagnosis of bacterial infection and may be a marker of an impaired immune response. Therefore, alternative methods of investigation are necessary in patients with AN suspected of having a bacterial infection. © 2003 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 34: 269–272, 2003.