Anorexia may stunt young women's growth
Study highlights the importance of early diagnosis and treatment

Date:
August 20, 2020
Source:
The Endocrine Society
Summary:
Girls with anorexia nervosa can have stunted growth and may not
reach their full height potential, according to a new study.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Girls with anorexia nervosa can have stunted growth and may not reach
their full height potential, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.


========================================================================== Anorexia nervosa is a condition in which a person loses an unhealthy
amount of weight on purpose by dieting, sometimes along with excessive exercise, binge eating, and/or purging behaviors. People with anorexia
nervosa have an intense fear of gaining weight and a disturbed body image
(such as thinking they are fat even when they are very underweight).

"Our findings emphasize the importance of early and intensive intervention aiming at normalization of body weight, which may result in improved
growth and allow patients to reach their full height potential," said
the study's corresponding author, Dalit Modan-Moses, M.D., of The Edmond
and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, in Tel Hashomer, Israel. "We suggest that the height impairment is a marker
for other complications of anorexia nervosa affecting the person's
overall health in several aspects: bone health, cognitive function, and problems with pregnancy and childbirth later in life. Early diagnosis
and treatment could prevent, or at least reduce, the risk of these complications." The researchers studied 255 girls around 15 years old
who were hospitalized for anorexia nervosa. They measured their height
at the time of admission, discharge and at adult height and found it
was lower than expected. Adult height was significantly shorter than
expected when compared to the genetic potential according to average of
the patient's mother and father's heights.

"This study may have implications for the management of malnutrition
in adolescents with other chronic diseases in order to achieve optimal
adult height and bone health," Modan-Moses said.

Other authors include Amit Yaroslavsky, Orit Pinhas-Hamiel, Yael
Levy-Shraga, Brigitte Kochavi, Adi Enoch-Levy, Anat Toledano and Daniel
Stein of the Chaim Sheba Medical Center and the Tel Aviv University in
Israel; and Sharon Iron- Segev of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Israel.

The manuscript received no external funding.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by The_Endocrine_Society. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


==========================================================================


Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200820102450.htm

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