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Updated: Jul 18, 2026
07:56
Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Bone changes in adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa
Monique Stone1, Julie Briody, Michael R Kohn
1Department of Adolescent Medicine, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, Australia. stonem@med.usyd.edu.au
Summary
Adolescent females with anorexia nervosa (AN) exhibit low bone mineral density due to stunted bone growth, not low bone mineral content relative to lean mass. Treatment did not improve these bone parameters.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Bone Metabolism
- Eating Disorders
Background:
- Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with significant skeletal fragility.
- Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is commonly used to assess bone health in AN.
- Factors influencing DXA measures in AN require further clarification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of chronological age, height, lean tissue mass, and menstrual status on DXA-derived bone measures in adolescent females with AN.
- To analyze changes in standardized DXA parameters following multidisciplinary treatment for AN.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective longitudinal study of 30 adolescent females with AN.
- Measurement of areal bone mineral density (aBMD), total body bone mineral content (BMC), and total body bone area using DXA.
- Standardization of DXA parameters for age, height, lean tissue mass, and total bone area.
Main Results:
- At baseline, subjects presented with lower BMC and aBMD compared to age- and height-matched references.
- BMC adjusted for lean tissue mass and bone area was normal at baseline and remained unchanged with treatment.
- Bone area adjusted for height was low at baseline and further decreased during treatment.
Conclusions:
- Low bone mineral density in AN is primarily attributed to impaired bone growth, resulting in reduced bone area.
- Bone mineral content is relatively normal for the existing bone size and lean tissue mass.
- Bone size changes were found to be proportional to lean tissue mass variations.
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