Evolution of serum biochemical indicators in anorexia nervosa patients: a 1-year follow-up study

• Published in: Journal of human nutrition and dietetics Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 23 - 30
• Main Authors: Nova, E, Lopez-Vidriero, I, Varela, P, Casas, J, Marcos, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-02-2008; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell Science
• Subjects: Adolescent; alkaline phosphatase; Alkaline Phosphatase - metabolism; amylases; Analysis of Variance; anorexia nervosa; Anorexia Nervosa - blood; Anorexia Nervosa - diet therapy; Anorexia Nervosa - metabolism; aspartate transaminase; Biological and medical sciences; biomarkers; Blood Chemical Analysis - methods; blood chemistry; blood glucose; blood lipids; blood proteins; Blood Proteins - metabolism; body mass index; body weight; Case-Control Studies; creatine kinase; enzyme activity; Erythrocyte Count; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Follow-Up Studies; follow-up study; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; hemoglobin; high density lipoprotein; Humans; Hypercholesterolemia - blood; Hypercholesterolemia - epidemiology; lactate dehydrogenase; Nutritional Status; patients; red blood cells; refeeding; restricting-type anorexia nervosa; serum biochemical markers; serum enzymatic activities; temporal variation; Time Factors; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Weight Gain - physiology; Human; red blood cells; Refeeding; Red blood cell; Anorexia nervosa; Marker; Eating disorder; follow-up study; restricting-type anorexia nervosa; Blood cell; serum biochemical markers; Enzymatic activity; Follow up study; Serum; serum enzymatic activities
• ISSN: 0952-3871; 1365-277X
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-277X.2007.00833.x

Long-term studies on the evolution of serum biochemical indicators in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients during treatment are lacking in the literature. Thus, a 1-year follow-up of serum biochemical parameters in a homogeneous group of AN patients was performed. Fourteen restricting-type AN patients were studied on admission to hospital, after 1 month of inpatient treatment and after 6 and 12 months after admission. Red blood cell count (RBC) and haemoglobin, serum glucose, total protein and the enzyme activities aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (AlP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) were significantly lower in patients on admission than in the control group. Total protein, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), AST, AlP and CK showed significant changes among time points ( anova, P < 0.05). Significant correlations were found between the change in RBC, haemoglobin, haematocrit, and the change in weight and body mass index (r = 0.74-0.86; P < 0.01). High cholesterol and amylase activity were found at all time points. While AST, LDH and CK reached control values within 6 months of treatment, AlP was always lower. Serum AlP, hypercholesterolaemia and RBC seem to need longer periods of treatment with further weight gain to fully normalize. Therefore, these parameters should be monitored in AN patients long-term follow-up.