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Adrenal Activity in Anorexia Nervosa
- Source :
- Psychosomatic Medicine. 40:499-506
- Publication Year :
- 1978
- Publisher :
- Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health), 1978.
-
Abstract
- Adrenocortical activity was studied in 19 emaciated women with anorexia nervosa. Relative to body size the patients' mean cortisol production rates of 0.591 mg/kg/day and 16.4 mg m2/day were significantly elevated compared to those of 0.322 mg/kg/day and 11.4 mg/m2/day for age and sex matched normal controls (p less than 0.001 and 0.02, respectively). The 24-hr mean plasma cortisol concentration in 18 patients was 10.6 microgram/dl and was significantly higher than that of the controls (6.8 microgram/dl, p less than 0.001). The average excretion of urinary free cortisol in nine patients was 205 microgram/day, significantly greater than that of 65 microgram/day in the controls (less than 0.01). Three patients underwent overnight suppression with 1 mg of dexamethasone and had inadequate responses. These data suggest that cortisol production is excessive in emaciated patients with anorexia nervosa due to a disturbance of the hypothalamic-pituitary mechanisms regulating adrenocortical function. The excessive adrenal activity may reflect certain psychobiological disturbances as well as the effects of malnutrition.
- Subjects :
- Adult
medicine.medical_specialty
Anorexia Nervosa
Adolescent
Hydrocortisone
business.industry
Microgram
Body size
Age and sex
Dexamethasone
Excretion
Psychiatry and Mental health
Endocrinology
Plasma cortisol
Anorexia nervosa (differential diagnoses)
Internal medicine
Urinary free cortisol
Adrenal Cortex
medicine
Humans
Female
business
Applied Psychology
medicine.drug
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00333174
- Volume :
- 40
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....ecd0ab78d3ed1956c38d9fdc36834d5c