Flow-mediated vasodilatation in the patients with anorexia nervosa

To compare flow-mediated vasodilatation in patients with anorexia nervosa and healthy subjects.

Endothelial dysfunction is present in the patients with anorexia nervosa. However, flow-mediated vasodilatation in the patients with anorexia nervosa in comparison with control subjects has not been yet evaluated.

Flow-mediated vasodilatation in the brachial artery was examined in 30 patients with anorexia nervosa admitted to metabolic care unit for realimentation and compared to 30 control subjects.

The average age of the patients with mental anorexia was 25.0±5.2 compared to 25.5±4.5 years of the healthy control subjects (NS). BMI was in 14.0±1.7 kg/m2 in patients with anorexia nervosa comparing to 20.4±1.0 kg/m2 in the healthy control subjects (p<0.001). The baseline mean diameter of the right brachial artery was 0.33±0.06 cm in the anorexia nervosa patients and 0.35±0.05 cm in the control subjects (NS). The absolute increase of brachial artery size after reactive hyperemia was 0.029±0.006 cm (9%) in the anorexia nervosa patients and 0.039±0.006 cm (11 %) in the control subjects (p=0.002). After realimentation, the baseline mean diameter of the right brachial artery was comparable to the result before nutrition intervention - 0.34±0.05 cm but brachial artery increase due to reactive hyperemia was 0.036±0.05 cm (10.5 %). It was for 19 % higher compared to the first examination (p<0.001).

Flow-mediated vasodilatation is decreased in the patients with anorexia nervosa in comparison with the healthy control subjects and improves after realimentation (Tab. 1, Ref. 20).