Stunting of Growth as a Major Feature of Anorexia Nervosa in Male Adolescents

Abstract

Linear growth retardation was a prominent feature of AN in our sample of male adolescent patients, preceding, in some cases, the reported detection of the eating disorder. Weight restoration, particularly when target weight is based on the premorbid height percentile, may be associated with significant catch-up growth, but complete catch-up growth may not be achieved.

Treatment goal weight in adolescents with anorexia nervosa: Use of BMI percentiles

“…Furthermore, malnutrition associated with AN can cause growth retardation. [17][18][19][20] As part of the clinical assessment of an individual patient, the clinician should review the prior growth curve. In the presence of documented growth deceleration or arrest, projected height rather than measured height, should be used for determination of treatment goal weight.…”

Medical complications in adolescents with anorexia nervosa: A review of the literature

“…There are reports in the pediatric literature of children and adolescents with AN presenting with growth failure or short stature. [28][29][30] Reports regarding catch-up growth after weight restoration include failure to gain any height, 30 incomplete catch-up growth, 31 and complete catch-up growth. 30,32 Small sample size, variation in the duration of follow-up, and lack of premorbid growth data may explain these inconsistent results.…”

Eating disorders in adolescentsposition paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine

“…Most of the medical complications in adolescents with an eating disorder improve with nutritional rehabilitation and recovery from the eating disorder, but some are potentially irreversible. Potentially irreversible medical complications in adolescents include: growth retardation if the disorder occurs before closure of the epiphyses [10,11,[23][24][25][26]; loss of dental enamel with chronic vomiting [27]; structural brain changes noted on cerebral tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and single-photon computerized tomography studies [28,29]; pubertal delay or arrest [30,31]; and impaired acquisition of peak bone mass [9,13,[32][33][34][35], predisposing to osteoporosis and increased fracture risk. These features underscore the importance of immediate medical management, ongoing monitoring and aggressive treatment by physicians who understand adolescent growth and development.…”