Bratislava Medical Journal Vol.114, No.11, p.634-636, 2013

Objective: To compare flow-mediated vasodilatation in patients with anorexia nervosa and healthy subjects.
Background: Endothelial dysfunction is present in the patients with anorexia nervosa. However, flow-mediated vasodilatation in the patients with anorexia nervosa in comparison with control subjects has not been yet evaluated.
Methods: Flow-mediated vasodilatation in the brachial artery was examined in 30 patients with anorexia nervosa admitted to metabolic care unit for realimentation and compared to 30 control subjects.

Results: The average age of the patients with mental anorexia was 25.0±5.2 compared to 25.5±4.5 years of the healthy control subjects (NS).

BMI was in 14.0±1.7 kg/m2 in patients with anorexia nervosa comparing to 20.4±1.0 kg/m2 in the healthy control subjects (p<0.001).

The baseline mean diameter of the right brachial artery was 0.33±0.06 cm in the anorexia nervosa patients and 0.35±0.05 cm in the control subjects (NS).

The absolute increase of brachial artery size after reactive hyperemia was 0.029±0.006 cm (9%) in the anorexia nervosa patients and 0.039±0.006 cm (11 %) in the control subjects (p=0.002).

After realimentation, the baseline mean diameter of the right brachial artery was comparable to the result before nutrition intervention – 0.34±0.05 cm but brachial artery increase due to reactive hyperemia was 0.036±0.05 cm (10.5 %).

It was for 19 % higher compared to the first examination (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Flow-mediated vasodilatation is decreased in the patients with anorexia nervosa in comparison with the healthy control subjects and improves after realimentation (Tab. 1, Ref. 20).