Prognosis in 41 severely malnourished anorexia nervosa patients

Abstract

Background & aims: To report the prognosis in 41 anorexia nervosa (AN) patients suffering from very severe malnutrition (mean BMI: 10.1 ± 0.57 kg/m(2)).

Patients and methods: Compared with 443 less malnourished AN patients, the 41 patients were older (27.8 ± 5.4 vs 22.4 ± 2.1 yrs), their AN was longer (9.6 ± 3.4 vs 5.0 ± 1.5 yrs) and more often of the restrictive subtype (P < 0.05).

Results: In 27% of the patients, all nutritional marker levels were in normal range. All patients received a prudent tube-refeeding: energy was increased from 12 to 40 kcal/kg/day, protein from 1.0 to 1.5 g/kg/day within 10 days. During stay, 1 patient died, 2 others suffered from myocardial infarction, 2 others from acute pancreatitis, and 5 from mental confusion. Compared with the other 443 AN patients, the 40 remaining patients had worse 6-yr prognosis: 2 died (7% vs 1.2%), 29% had severe outcome (vs 10%), and only 41% recovered (vs 62%).

Conclusion: In AN patients with BMI < 11 kg/m(2), a prudent tube-refeeding could avoid short-term mortality, but long-term prognosis was bad.