Therapy curbs osteoporosis in women with anorexia

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Women with anorexia are prone
to develop brittle bones, but medical treatment either with the
bone-strengthening drug etidronate or with calcium and vitamin
D effectively reverses the degree of osteoporosis, according to
a new study.

Dr. Toshihiro Nakahara, of Kagoshima University Graduate
School of Medical and Dental Science, Japan, and colleagues
studied 41 women (average age 26 years) with anorexia nervosa.
The subjects were randomly assigned to take etidronate, or
calcium and vitamin D, or an inactive placebo.

To assess bone density, the researchers measured the speed
of sound in the shinbone, at the start of the study and after 3
months of treatment.

Compared to the placebo group, there was a significant
increase in the bone density in both the etidronate and
calcium-and-vitamin D groups. No significant differences were
observed between these actively treated groups, the team
reports in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

“To prevent bone loss and fracture risk in patients with
anorexia nervosa, it is very important, albeit challenging, to
restore normal weight,” Nakahara and colleagues explain. “Thus,
we believe that active treatment of bone mineral density is
essential to maintain quality of life in anorexia nervosa
patients over the long term.”

SOURCE: International Journal of Eating Disorders, January
2006.