Bulimia nervosa (BN) is characterized by binge eating, compensatory behavior, over-evaluation of weight and shape, which often co-occur with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Depression is the most common comorbid diagnosis in women with eating disorders. The role of androgens in the pathophysiology of depression has been recognized in recent years. However, the research on psychopathological comorbidity and androgen levels in bulimic disease is sparse. This study aimed to investigate, if there were any correlations between the androgens, testosterone (T), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), androstenedione (A4), 5α-dihydrotestosterone, (5α-DHT), and test scores of psychopathological variables, in women with bulimia nervosa (BN), eating disorder not otherwise specified of purging subtype (EDNOS-P) assessed by CPRS, and EDI 2. Women with DSM-IV diagnosis of BN (n = 36), EDNOS-P (n = 27), and healthy control subjects (n = 58) evaluated for fifteen psychopathological variables, i.a. depressive symptoms, impulsivity, personal traits, as well as serum androgen levels. All women were euthyroid, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis was excluded. Although androgen levels were almost equal for all three groups, significant correlations between core psychopathological symptoms (9/15) of bulimia nervosa and the most potent endogenous androgen, 5α-DHT, was found only in the EDNOS-P group. The role of 5α-DHT in women is not fully elucidated. Both animal and human studies have shown that the brain is able to locally synthesize steroids de novo and is a target of steroid hormones. Maybe these results can be interpreted in the light of differences in androgen receptor variability, metabolism and origin of T and 5α-DHT.
Keywords: 5α-dihydrotestosterone; Bulimia nervosa; CPRS; Depressive symptoms; EDI 2; Eating disorder not otherwise specified; Psychopathological variables.
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