Pediatr. praxi. 2020;21(6):405-408 | DOI: 10.36290/ped.2020.084

Body composition in anorexia nervosa patients

Mgr. Michaela Ulrichová¹, doc. MUDr. Jiří Radvanský, CSc.², MUDr. Jiří Koutek, Ph.D.³

¹ Fakulta tělesné výchovy a sportu UK, Praha

² Klinika rehabilitace a tělovýchovného lékařství 2. LF UK a FN Motol, Praha

³ Dětská psychiatrická klinika 2. LF UK a FN Motol, Praha

Anorexia nervosa is a severe psychiatric disorder which causes demage of all organ systems including musculoskeletal system. Osteopenia, osteoporosis, sarkopenia and peripheral neuropathy develops as a consequence of malnutrition. Anorexia nervosa leads to extreme and very dynamic changes of body composition. The weight expected according to age and height is dropping as a result of long-term starvation and the patient is loosing the fat mass and the musscle tissue. To reach the adequate weight patient has to undergo the several months long realimentation process. The fat mass increases rapidly and redistributes to the center of the body during the first weeks of realimentation. In contrast the muscle tissue restoration is a long term process lasting several moths. All these changes have severe metabolic consequences. The simple methods such as skinfold thickness can be used to access the body composition of patients with anorexia nervosa but there are also sofisticated methods as magnetic resonance or underwater weighing. As a result of body composition and psychological changes the posture impairment develops and the muskuloskeletal pain can be induced.

Keywords: anorexia nervosa, body composition, weight restoration.

Published: January 6, 2021  Show citation