Carnitine levels in patients with skeletal myopathy due to anorexia nervosa before and after refeeding

• Published in: The International journal of eating disorders Vol. 26; no. 3; pp. 341 - 344
• Main Authors: Morton, John, McLoughlin, Declan M., Whiting, Stephen, Russell, Gerald F. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.11.1999; Wiley; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anorexia; Anorexia nervosa; Anorexia Nervosa - psychology; Anorexia Nervosa - therapy; Biological and medical sciences; blood; blood serum; Body Mass Index; carnitine; Carnitine - blood; carnitine levels; Chemical elements; Eating behavior disorders; Eating disorders; etiology; Female; Humans; Medical sciences; Mitochondrial Myopathies; Mitochondrial Myopathies - blood; Mitochondrial Myopathies - etiology; Muscle Weakness; Muscle Weakness - blood; muscular diseases; psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; repletion; skeletal muscle; skeletal myopathy; therapy; Time Factors; underweight; weight gain; women; Human; Striated muscle disease; Refeeding; Aminoacid; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Complication; Evolution; Female; Anorexia nervosa; Eating disorder; Carnitine; Myopathy
• ISSN: 0276-3478; 1098-108X
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1098-108X(199911)26:3<341::AID-EAT12>3.0.CO;2-9

Objective To assess the role of carnitine in the skeletal myopathy present in anorexia nervosa. Method Serum levels of free and total carnitine were measured in a group of severely underweight women with anorexia nervosa and skeletal myopathy before and after an inpatient refeeding program. Results Carnitine levels were within the reference range before refeeding and remained unchanged despite significant weight gain in all the subjects. Conclusion These findings suggest that carnitine plays no part in the muscle weakness seen in severe anorexia nervosa. © 1999 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 26: 341–344, 1999.