The Psychological and Medical Landscape of Anorexia Nervosa over a Decade: A Retrospective Study of Possible Physical and Psychological Shifts.

In recent years, the definition, clinical characteristics, and psychological aspects of anorexia nervosa (AN) have undergone notable changes, influenced by various factors such as biology, psychology, and the environment. The COVID-19 pandemic is one such external factor that has been preliminarily identified as affecting the clinical presentation of AN. This study specifically aims to assess the alterations in psychological and medical features observed in individuals with AN during the pandemic. This study is a retrospective case review of 252 people diagnosed with AN from two different cohorts: 2010-2012 and 2021. A comparison of psychological and medical data was conducted to identify specific differences in the initial clinical evaluation. Additionally, different effects of the pandemic on age cohorts were assessed, with a focus on distinctions between adolescents and adults. Results revealed that the pandemic cohort had a higher number of new cases, with patients being younger and experiencing more severe psychological symptoms. Hospitalization rates upon first access were also elevated, but no significant differences in medical values were observed. Adolescents during the pandemic showed increased episodes of binge eating, decreased obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and greater difficulty in interoceptive awareness. This study reveals distinct differences in symptomatology among patients, with a particular focus on psychological characteristics such as impulsive behaviors and interoceptive awareness. These behavioral and interoceptive changes could have potential considerations in the treatment pathway. Further investigations are warranted to gain a deeper understanding of the evolving clinical presentation of anorexia nervosa after the pandemic.

Spinal 'flip-flop' effect in anorexia nervosa: A case report.

Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric eating disorder related to malnutrition and consequent altered metabolism. A 48-year-old female with a history of anorexia in the last 2 years referred to our hospital with spinal pain. She underwent spinal X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showing multiple vertebral collapses in dorsal and lumbar spine with inversion of normal bone marrow and soft tissue signal in T1-weighted and STIR images. We describe this case of spinal 'flip-flop' phenomenon, underlining how what seems a technical failure is actually a specific imaging pattern related to the clinical context.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of beta-blockers vs endoscopic surveillance in patients with cirrhosis and small varices.

AIM: To evaluate the most cost-effectiveness strategy for preventing variceal growth and bleeding in patients with cirrhosis and small esophageal varices. METHODS: A stochastic analysis based on decision trees was performed to compare the cost-effectiveness of beta-blockers therapy starting from a diagnosis of small varices (Strategy 1) with that of endoscopic surveillance followed by beta-blockers treatment when large varices are demonstrated (Strategy 2), for preventing variceal growth, bleeding and death in patients with cirrhosis and small esophageal varices. The basic nodes of the tree were gastrointestinal endoscopy, inpatient admission and treatment for bleeding, as required. All estimates were performed using a Monte Carlo microsimulation technique, consisting in simulating observations from known probability distributions depicted in the model. Eight-hundred-thousand simulations were performed to obtain the final estimates. All estimates were then subjected to Monte Carlo Probabilistic sensitivity analysis, to assess the impact of the variability of such estimates on the outcome distributions. RESULTS: The event rate (considered as progression of varices or bleeding or death) in Strategy 1 [24.09% (95%CI: 14.89%-33.29%)] was significantly lower than in Strategy 2 [60.00% (95%CI: 48.91%-71.08%)]. The mean cost (up to the first event) associated with Strategy 1 [823 £ (95%CI: 106 £-2036 £)] was not significantly different from that of Strategy 2 [799 £ (95%CI: 0 £-3498 £)]. The cost-effectiveness ratio with respect to this endpoint was equal to 50.26 £ (95%CI: -504.37 £-604.89 £) per event avoided over the four-year follow-up. When bleeding episodes/deaths in subjects whose varices had grown were included, the mean cost associated with Strategy 1 was 1028 £ (95%CI: 122 £-2581 £), while 1699 £ (95%CI: 171 £-4674 £) in Strategy 2. CONCLUSION: Beta-blocker therapy turn out to be more effective and less expensive than endoscopic surveillance for primary prophylaxis of bleeding in patients with cirrhosis and small varices.

Sodium depletion and hemoconcentration: overlooked complications in patients with anorexia nervosa?

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated sodium and fluid balance disturbances in anorexia nervosa. METHODS: Serum urea, creatinine, urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio, protein concentration, osmolality, electrolytes, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were evaluated on admission, after intravenous fluid supplementation, and at discharge in 14 patients who had anorexia nervosa and were admitted to a medical unit for severe malnutrition and/or medical complications. Diet history and physical signs of salt and water depletion were also evaluated on admission. The diagnosis of plasma volume depletion was considered confirmed if serum urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio was higher than 25. RESULTS: Mean body mass indexes were 12.9 +/- 2.4 kg/m2 on admission and 14.2 +/- 2.0 kg/m2 at discharge. Mean duration of hospitalization was 24.2 +/- 11.9 d. Plasma volume depletion was found on admission in nine patients (64%), and hyponatremia was associated with hypovolemia (hypovolemic hyponatremia) in three of them. Most of the commonly used indexes of hemoconcentration (hematocrit, hemoglobin, serum urea, and creatinine) were normal on admission but decreased significantly after intravenous fluid supplementation and were maintained at lower levels at discharge (P < 0.001, P < 0.0004, P < 0.009, and P < 0.001, respectively, compared with admission values). Hemoconcentration masked an underlying anemia (hemoglobin < 12 g/dL) in six patients. Only two of the nine patients with plasma volume depletion had a history of diuretic abuse, and the other seven patients reported long-term sodium restriction as a method to control body weight. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma volume depletion and hypovolemic hyponatremia are common in the most severely malnourished patients with anorexia nervosa. Clinicians should be aware that, because of malnutrition, the common indexes of hemoconcentration may be within normal range and that hemoconcentration may mask anemia. Further studies are needed to assess the role of neglected behaviors such as sodium and fluid restriction.

Body mass index and agreement between bioimpedance and anthropometry estimates of body compartments in anorexia nervosa.

BACKGROUND: In 74 women with anorexia nervosa (body mass index [BMI] 10-17.5 kg/m(2)), a progressive disagreement between anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) estimates of fat (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) was documented with a BMI <15 kg/m(2). Below this threshold, an abnormal body composition was detected with vector BIA independent on body weight (useful tool at the bedside). Both anthropometry and BIA are used for body composition assessment. We evaluated the agreement between their estimates of FFM and FM in extremely lean subjects with anorexia nervosa. METHODS: Observational study in 74 women (age 15-45 years; BMI 10.0-17.5 kg/m(2)) with anorexia nervosa. Anthropometry FM and FFM were estimated by skinfold thicknesses. Whole-body impedance vector components, resistance (R) and reactance (X(c)), were measured at the same time (BIA-101 analyzer, 50-kHz frequency; Akern/RJL Systems, Clinton Twp., MI). BIA estimates of FFM and FM were obtained with Sun's equations (BMI 14-39 kg/m(2)). Vector BIA was performed with the RXc graph method. The frequency of disagreement between anthropometry and BIA was evaluated as a function of increasing BMI (receiver operating characteristic curve). RESULTS: The correlation coefficient between methods was 0.80-0.90. The BMI cutoff value of 15 kg/m(2) predicted disagreement of FM and FFM in patients with a BMI <15 kg/m(2). In the RXc graph, the distribution of vectors from patients with disagreement was significantly shifted out of the right border of the reference tolerance ellipses. CONCLUSIONS: Anthropometry and BIA equations should not be used in anorexic patients with a BMI <15 kg/m(2). The distribution of vectors from patients with disagreement of methods was shifted out of the right border of the reference tolerance ellipses and was superposed to vectors from patients with a BMI <15 kg/m(2). The identified impedance pattern for anorexia could be useful for feedback in individual patient refeeding (vector back into the 75% reference ellipse).

Total serum cholesterol and suicidality in anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: No published study has evaluated the relationship between serum cholesterol and suicidality in anorexia nervosa (AN). AIMS: To assess psychiatric and nutritional correlates of serum cholesterol in a sample of AN patients. METHODS: Serum cholesterol and nutritional status were evaluated in a sample of 74 AN patients, before starting any type of refeeding. All subjects underwent a structured clinical interview and completed the Hopkins Symptom Checklist. RESULTS: Subjects who reported previous suicide attempts, impulsive self-injurious behavior, or current suicidal ideation showed significantly lower cholesterol levels than subjects without suicidality. Cholesterol levels were negatively correlated with the severity of depressive symptoms in all the patients with the exception of those with recurrent binge eating. A multivariate analysis showed that the relationships between cholesterol levels and suicidal behavior and ideation do not seem to be affected by the nutritional and metabolic factors considered in the study. CONCLUSIONS: Notwithstanding the influence of important metabolic factors affecting cholesterolemia in AN, our research tends to confirm previous studies that have found an association between low cholesterol levels and suicidality.

Acute liver damage in anorexia nervosa.

We report a case of a 26-year-old White woman with a history of anorexia nervosa who developed severe liver damage and multiorgan dysfunction. At admission to our medical unit, her body mass index (BMI) was 10.8. Biochemical evaluation showed a marked increase in serum levels of aspartate aminotransferases (AST = 9,980 IU/L), alanine aminotransferase (ALT = 3,930 IU/L), amylase (1,002 IU/L), lipase (1,437 IU/L), creatine phosphokinase (CPK; 783 IU/L), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH = 6,830 IU/L). Glomerular filtration rate was reduced (35 ml/min), reflecting dehydration and prerenal azotemia. No other cause of acute liver damage except malnutrition was evidenced. Hydration and nutritional support were the unique medical treatment. A rapid recovery occurred in few days and all laboratory data were normal at discharge after a 37-day hospitalization.