Changes of laboratory parameters during olanzapine treatment in young people with anorexia nervosa: exploratory...

While olanzapine is recommended for promoting weight recovery in adults with anorexia nervosa (AN), its use in young people remains under-researched, necessitating the careful monitoring of blood-based laboratory parameters to manage the potential side effects of olanzapine.

In the OPEN feasibility study which tested olanzapine treatment over 6 months in young people with AN, 15 study participants (aged 12-23) adhered to olanzapine treatment for at least 16 weeks and had clinical blood-based laboratory parameters measured.

In an exploratory analysis, we found a mean increase of 0.06 x 10⁹/L in white blood cell count (WBC) (0.01, 0.11 95% CI) per week. Bilirubin decreased by 0.11 mg/dL (-0.19, -0.04 95% CI) per week, and serum albumin levels dropped slightly by 0.20 g/L (-0.29, -0.11 95% CI) per week. Electrolytes, liver enzymes, total cholesterol and triglycerides remained stable during treatment with olanzapine.

Whereas the increase in WBC and the decrease in bilirubin likely reflect nutritional rehabilitation, the reason for the albumin reduction is unclear. Thus, monitoring serum albumin during trials and clinical treatment for AN with olanzapine is advised.