Anorexia causes irreversible bone damage
Anorexia leaves significant bone loss that is not reversed by any conventional treatment.
A study of 130 anorexic women in 20s, found that 92% had ostopenia or bone loss in the spine or hips. Almost 38% of the women suffered bone loss that is serious enough to be categorized as osteoporosis.
A research team in Massachusetts General Hospital found out that hormone supplements such as calcium or vitamin D did not improve bone density of anorexic patients.
Lead researcher, Anne Klibanski, director of the hospital’s neuroendocrine unit shared: “Some of these young women are experiencing bone loss comparable to that of women many decades older, despite estrogen therapy.”
The severity of osteoporosis among women who suffers form anorexia puts more emphasis of the importance of screening.
Irreversible and permanent damage
Signs of bone loss as a direct complication of anorexia nervosa could be permanent.
The mentioned study yielded the strongest predictor of bone loss is shown by the woman’s height, with those weighing least showing greater levels of osteopenia.
One quarter of the participant is undergoing estrogen therapy while more than half had been prescribed estrogen.
Another expected outcome of weight loss is amenorrhea or absence of menstrual period. The absence of menstrual period was reversed in some of the women taking estrogen but the research team found that the hormone had no positive effect on bone density.
Vitamin D supplements with calcium as a treatment had no effect to help counteract the effect of anorexia on the bones.
The study concluded that regaining and maintaining a healthy weight is the key to prevent or reduce bone loss.
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