Related Experiment Videos
Respiratory muscle weakness and anorexia nervosa
C Laird Birmingham1, Adrienne O Tan
1Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. clbirm@interchange.ubc.ca
Background:
Nutritional recovery in anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with improved exercise tolerance.
Method:
We describe the investigation of a male with AN. Despite nutritional recovery, he complained of impaired exercise tolerance.
Results:
Respiratory muscle weakness was demonstrated as the cause of the impaired exercise tolerance.
Discussion:
Weakness of the muscles of respiration results from prolonged malnutrition. The diaphragmatic muscle may be slower to recover than other muscles. This can cause impaired exercise tolerance due to shortness of breath on exertion, despite nutritional recovery.