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Bone density 11 years after anorexia nervosa onset in a controlled study of 39 cases
Author(s) -
Wentz Elisabet,
Mellström Dan,
Gillberg Christopher,
Sundh Valter,
Gillberg I. Carina,
Råstam Maria
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.10192
Subject(s) - osteopenia , anorexia nervosa , bone mineral , medicine , body mass index , bone density , osteoporosis , endocrinology , eating disorders , psychiatry
Objective To evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition 11 years after the onset of anorexia nervosa (AN). Method Thirty‐nine AN subjects (36 females, 3 males), selected from a population‐based sample, and 46 matched controls (COMP; 43 females, 3 males) were examined by using double‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA). Only 2 women still had AN. None of the men had AN. Results The females in the AN and COMP groups did not differ regarding BMD, nor was there a difference across female groups concerning body mass index (BMI). The female AN group had a significantly lower percentage of body fat. BMD among females in the AN group was related to lowest BMI ever. There was an inverse relationship between lumbar BMD and AN duration. Discussion Low BMD is not overrepresented among weight‐restored AN patients at long‐term follow‐up compared with healthy women. However, the inverse relationship between BMD and AN duration may be indicative of a risk for osteopenia in patients with subchronic and chronic AN. © 2003 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 34: 314–318, 2003.