Medical Findings in Korean Women with Bulimia Nervosa

Jung-Kun Kang; Young-Wan Kim; Sang-Bin Bae; Youl-Ri Kim

doi:10.4306/jknpa.2013.52.5.365

Journal List > J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc > v.52(5) > 1017652

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Kang, Kim, Bae, and Kim: Medical Findings in Korean Women with Bulimia Nervosa

Original Article

Journal of Korean Neuropsychiatric Association 2013; 52(5): 365-371.

Published online: 30 September 2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2013.52.5.365

Medical Findings in Korean Women with Bulimia Nervosa

Jung-Kun Kang, MD¹, Young-Wan Kim, MD², Sang-Bin Bae, MD³, Youl-Ri Kim, MD, PhD¹

¹Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

²Noche re-Ander Charity Hospital, Gapyeong, Korea.

³Department of Neuropsychiatry, Chuncheon National Hospital, Chuncheon, Korea.

Address for correspondence: Youl-Ri Kim, MD, PhD. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, 9 Mareunnae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul 100-032, Korea. Tel: +82-2-2270-0063, Fax: +82-2-2270-0344, youlri.kim@paik.ac.kr

Received 30 May 2013 Revised 12 August 2013 Accepted 20 August 2013

Abstract

Objectives

Medical complications are common and often serious in patients with eating disorders, however, little is known about complications in patients with bulimia nervosa.

Methods

We conducted a retrospectively investigation of clinical characteristics and hematologic, biochemical, hormonal, and bone density evaluations in 90 Korean women with bulimia nervosa together with 100 healthy Korean women of comparable ages.

Results

In patients with bulimia nervosa, 20% were anemic, 3.3% were hypokalemic, 14.4% had increased alanine aminotransferase, 24.4% were lower in serum protein, 8.8% were hypercholesterolemia, and 77.8% were hyperamylasemia. Osteopenia at any one site was identified in 26.7% of patients and the lowest-ever body mass index was the main determinant of bone mineral density in patients with bulimia nervosa.

Conclusion

In this study, many features of medical findings reported in anorexia nervosa were found in bulimia nervosa, however, the findings in bulimia nervosa were milder form than in anorexia nervosa. Management of any physical abnormalities in bulimia nervosa should focus on correction of the eating disorder.

Keywords: Bulimia nervosa, Eating disorder, Medical complication, Bone mineral density, Korean

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Clinical characteristics in women with BN and healthy women

Data are shown as mean (SD). p-value <0.05 defined as significant. BN : Bulimia nervosa, BMI : Body mass index, NA : Not applicable

Table 2

Hematologic parameters in women with BN and healthy women

Data are shown as mean (SD). p-value <0.05 defined as significant. BN : Bulimia nervosa, RBC : Red blood cell count, Hb : Hemoglobin, Hct : Hematocrit, WBC : White blood cell

Table 3

Biochemical parameters in women with BN and healthy women

Data are shown as mean (SD). p-value <0.05 defined as significant. BN : Bulimia nervosa, AST : Aspartate aminotransferase, ALT : Alanine aminotransferase, BUN : Blood urea nitrogen, TSH : Thyroid stimulating hormone, T3 : Triiodothyronine, NA : Not applicable

Table 4

Data for bone mineral density at different sites in women with BN and healthy women

Data are shown as mean (SD). p-value <0.05 defined as significant. BN : Bulimia nervosa, BMD : Bone mineral density, L : Lumbar spine

Table 5

The correlation of the laboratory results with clinical variables in patients with bulimia nervosa (n=90)

^*: p-value<0.05, ^**: p-value<0.01. BMI : Body mass index, RBC : Red blood cell count, Hb : Hemoglobin, Hct : Hematocrit, WBC : White blood cell, AST : Aspartate aminotransferase, ALT : Alanine aminotransferase, L : Lumbar spine

Table 6

Regression models of lumbar spine and femur neck BDM in women with BN (n=90)

^*: Factors are included in the final regression model for each dependent variables of t scores for bone sites. p-value<0.05 defined as significant. BN : Bulimia nervosa, BMD : Bone mineral density, BMI : Body mass index

Notes

The authors have no financial conflicts of interest.

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