Bone mass eight years after treatment for adolescent-onset anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to study long-term bone mineral development in former patients with an onset of anorexia nervosa during childhood and adolescence.

METHODS

Bone mineral density (BMD) in lumbar spine and total hip was measured in 39 female participants (mean age = 23.1 years, SD 3.5) an average of 8.1 (±3.3) years after treatment start.

RESULTS

At follow-up, seven participants (17.9%) still suffered from an eating disorder. Mean BMD in the former patients was within the normal range in the hip but significantly reduced in the spine. Fourteen (36%) of the participants had osteopenia, and three (8%) had osteoporosis in the spine and/or hip. Amenorrhea for more than two years was associated with reduced BMD in the spine, whereas low weight at follow-up was associated with low BMD in both the spine and the hip.

CONCLUSION

A large minority of these former patients had low bone mass in young adulthood. In accordance with other studies, our findings support the importance of weight restoration for future bone health in young patients with anorexia nervosa.