ABSTRACT
Nutritional status and immunocompetence were evaluated in 26 patients suffering from anorexia nervosa (AN) (n = 16) or bulimia nervosa (BN) (n = 10) in comparison with a control group (n = 22). Body mass index (BMI) was lower in all patients than in controls, AN patients having the lowest values. Slight leukopenia together with relative lymphocytosis was shown in both AN and BN. The CD4/CD8 ratio was low in all patients, but more so for BN patients, although cell-mediated immune function was impaired to the same extent for both eating disorders. The complement system appeared to be damaged in all the patients in comparison with controls. These results may mean that the nutritional status of both syndromes was different. Although anthropometric measurements in the BN group may suggest a more acceptable nutritional status, immunological parameters were shown to be depleted at the same level as the AN group and even more impaired when judged by the lower CD4/CD8 values.
Subject(s)
Anorexia Nervosa/immunology , Bulimia/immunology , Immunocompetence , Nutritional Status , Adolescent , Adult , Anorexia Nervosa/physiopathology , Anthropometry , Body Mass Index , Bulimia/physiopathology , CD4-CD8 Ratio , Child , Complement System Proteins , Female , Humans , Leukopenia/immunology , Lymphocytosis/immunology , Skin TestsABSTRACT
Nutritional status of patients suffering from bulimia nervosa was evaluated by anthropometric, hematological, and immunological parameters in comparison with a healthy control group. Anthropometry showed no signs of malnutrition in either group. Bulimic patients showed a significant decrease in most of the routine clinical indexes related to red blood cells. Lymphocyte subsets CD2 and CD4 in bulimic patients were lower than in controls, whereas CD8 remained unmodified, leading to a lower CD4:CD8 in bulimic patients. The decreases in CD2 and CD4 numbers might be linked to an impaired cell-mediated immune function, as evaluated by the response to skin tests. The B lymphocyte subset was increased in the bulimic group. Innate immunity was impaired in the bulimic patients. Although anthropometric and most of the routine clinical parameters were within the normal range, these results might suggest that the depleted immune function accounts for a subclinical malnutrition status in bulimic patients.
