[Anorexia-nervosa--psychopathologic findings in relation to body weight and neuroendocrinologic changes]

The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship of psychopathological, behavioral and neuroendocrinological variables to weight profiles in patients with anorexia nervosa. The subjects were 67 patients with anorexia nervosa (61 females, 6 males). Eighteen (27%) were found to have a diffuse organic brain syndrome. Symptoms of hysterical and depressive neurosis predominated among the female subjects and those of obsessive-compulsive neurosis among the male subjects. Obsessive-compulsive and depressive traits were seen more frequently in the subjects with organic brain syndrome (14 of 18) than in the other subjects. One third of the female subjects showed resistance during therapy. Neuroendocrinological investigations (LHRH and TRH tests) were carried out on 27 of the female subjects. The stimulation values for the hormones LH, FSH, TSH and prolactin showed a significant dependence on weight. The symptomatology found in the subjects with organic brain syndrome largely parallels that of the psycho-organic hunger syndrome described by Baeyer. Correlations were found between weight loss and both blood chemistry findings and changes in psychosocial behavior.