Carotenemia in Normal-weight Bulimia: A Finding Unrelated to Other Physical Manifestations of the Syndrome.

Carotenemia, well described in eating disorders, is considered a marker for one or another pathophysiologic process occurring during the disease. We studied 17 adolescent, normal-weight women with bulimia, 11 of whom were determined clinically to be candidates for outpatient treatment, and 6 of whom were recommended for hospitalization. The outpatient group had an elevated serum carotene level (mean = 309.0 ± 92.0 μg/dl), whereas the inpatient group had a normal level (mean = 164.8 ± 59.2 μg/dl; t = 3.92, p = .002). Our data do not support the relationship of carotenemia to malnutrition, menstrual dysfunction, or any other factor associated with the manifestations of eating disorders. We suggest that carotenemia may be an indicator of some homeostatic mechanism activated in response to the disorder.