Anorexia Nervosa
History
Epidemiology
Onset
Incidence
Prevalence
Gender Distribution
Aetiology
The Minnesota Experiments
Biological Factors
Psychosocial Factors
Differentials
- Restrictive food intake disorder
- Severe depression
- Medical conditions (cancer, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, hyperthyroidism)
- Normal behaviour
- Atypical anorexia nervosa/ restrictive food intake disorder
- Bulimia nervosa
- Severe depression
- Delusional disorder/psychosis
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Organic Manifestations
Review : (Schorr and Miller 2017)
Hormonal changes
Low T3 Syndrome (normal levels of TSH and T4)
Reduced levels of LH, GnRH also result in reduced testosterone and estradiol levels
Increased growth hormone reduced Insulin-like factor 1 (IGF1) levels (Acquired growth hormone resistance)
Increased levels of ACTH, Cortisol and CRH (hyper-excited HPA-Axis)
Reduced levels of leptin due to reduced fat stores
Increased levels of ADH
Cardiovascular changes
Cardiac arrhythmia
Low blood pressure
Bradycardia
Biochemical (or metabolic) changes
Electrolyte abnormalities
Hypokalemia
Hypophosphatemia
Hypoglycemia
Hypophosphatemia
Prognostic Factors
Predictors of poor prognosis
(Godart, Carrot and Hubert 2012) (Jagielska and Kacperska 2017)
Premorbid OCD
Low BMI at presentation
Premenarchal onset
Requirement for hospitalization
Adult age
Predictors of Good prognosis
(Errichiello et al. 2016)
The short duration of treatment and of the illness
Inpatient treatment at an early age
Preserved insight
Specific Mental State Questions in this cas
These should include questions on the psychopathology of eating disorders, depression, and suicide. Begin with open-ended questions then follow up with more specific questions as needed.
Are you preoccupied with any thoughts these days?
Does anything specific worry you excessively?
Do you worry about your weight or your shape?
So what are your concerns (regarding the above)?
Have you felt that you are fat?
How do you feel about your body and weight in general?
Do you like it or dislike it?
How do you try or manage to control your weight?
What do you think can happen if you could not control your weight?
Do you experience any episodes during which you can not control your eating?
How do you feel before such incidents happen?
How about, after the episode?
Do you feel any guilt or disgust?
Do you have any fears about weight-gain?
(Clarification) Like some people fear that their weight is going out of control.
How is your mood, in general, these days?
Have you experienced any such thoughts that life is not worth living? (then follow up with more specific questions on suicide)
What do you think about your illness? Do you think it could be a psychiatric illness?
Informational Care About Causes and Contributing Factors of Anorexia Nervosa
(Zipfel et al. 2015)
Risk in first-degree relatives is very high (almost 10 times in sisters of affected girls)
Estimated heritability is up to 74%
The findings together suggest that genetic contribution is high
Females are at a much higher risk than males
Early adverse experiences, e.g. prematurity, feeding difficulties, increase the risk
Certain personality and temperamental factors may interact with these factors to increase the risk e.g. perfectionism, homelessness
Research has also shown abnormalities in mental abilities (e.g. in task shifting and central coherence), brain structure (increased grey matter in the insular cortex and orbitofrontal cortex) and function (in regions associated with responses to food rewards)
Sociocultural factors like urbanization and industrialization may indirectly increase the risk by increasing exposure to social influences
Linking neuroimaging with neurochemistry, one theory is that the restrictive eating of anorexia nervosa is a maladaptive attempt to reduce the negative effect caused by an imbalance between the aversive (serotonergic) and reward (dopaminergic) systems of the brain.
A female aged 22 presented to the OPD with amenorrhoea, excessive weight loss and BMI 15. The family says that she has been in this state for the last 6 months and her aunt who is in the UK also suffers from a similar illness. Past history is insignificant for psychiatric illness. After a detailed assessment, it was decided to admit her for inpatient treatment.
- What is your differential diagnosis?
- What will be the contents of an informational care session for the family about the causes, nature and contributing factors of this illness?
- Enumerate the poor prognostic factors in this case.
- What do you know about the epidemiology of various eating disorders?
- What are the physical manifestations among them?
Differentials
Anorexia nervosa
Restrictive food intake disorder
Severe depression
Medical conditions (cancer, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, hyperthyroidism)
Poor Prognostic Factors In This Case
Her age
Her requirement for hospitalization
Her BMI at presentation
A 14-year-old girl was referred to you by a physician because of physical and mental exhaustion following relentless pursuits to lose 15 kg weight over a month period.
- Enumerate expected hormonal, cardiovascular and biochemical/metabolic abnormalities in this case.
- What specific questions will you ask in the mental state examination?
- Enumerate differential diagnoses in the order of priority that you will consider in this case?
Differentials
Normal behavior
Anorexia nervosa
Atypical anorexia nervosa/ restrictive food intake disorder
Bulimia nervosa
Severe depression
Delusional disorder/psychosis
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
A 22-year-old lady presents to you at the OPD. She has a dangerously lean built, yet believes she is too fat and has an overwhelming desire to be thin. Detailed history revealed amenorrhea, labile mood, lack of sexual desires, and social withdrawal. Physical examination and laboratory investigations have not been performed yet.
- Write down your provisional diagnosis based on the information provided.
- List any five physical consequences of this disease (that you may find on physical examination)
- List any three abnormal findings which you expect on investigations.
- List three therapeutic interventions recommended by current evidence-based guidelines
Diagnosis
Anorexia nervosa
Physical Consequences
Lanugo hair on the back of forearms and chest
Brittle nails
Bradycardia, arrhythmia and low blood pressure on CVS examination
Extreme emaciation on GPE, and in prepubertal girls, failure of breast development and stunted growth
Calluses on the knuckles known as Russel sign
Perimyolysis
Swelling of salivary glands
Dry skin and orange discolouration of palms and soles
Abnormal Findings On Investigations
Cardiac arrhythmia on ECG
Reduced T3 levels on TFTs
Reduced serum potassium (and other electrolytes abnormalities)
Therapeutic Interventions
(Guidelines (NICE 2017)
Individual eating-disorder-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-ED)
Maudsley Anorexia Nervosa Treatment for Adults (MANTRA)
Specialist supportive clinical management (SSCM).
Non-Pharmacological Therapies For Anorexia
Adolescents
There is strong evidence for the first two
Family-based treatment (FBT)
Maudsley family therapy (MFT)
Family system therapy (FST)
Adolescent focused therapy (AFT)
Cognitive-behavioral treatment (broad; CBT-b)
Cognitive-behavioral treatment (enhanced; CBT-E)
Adults
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (enhanced; CBT-E)
Behavioral therapies (BT)
Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)
Psychodynamic therapy (PT)
Cognitive analytic therapy (CAT)
Focal psychodynamic psychotherapy
Maudsley model of anorexia nervosa treatment for adults (MANTRA)
Specialist supportive clinical management (SSCM)
A 21-year-old woman referred from the gynaecology ward for noncompliance with medical advice. They admitted there her for the investigation of irregular menstruation for the last three years. During hospitalisation, she often refuses meals despite the insistence of attendants, but on other occasions, she takes out a lot of candies and chocolates from her bag and eats hurriedly. They also found her to have vomited, but these seem to be self-induced, as witnessed by the ward servant.
Write three differential diagnoses.
What biopsychosocial risk factors will you search during the assessment?
Differentials
Anorexia nervosa
Factitious disorder
Bulimia nervosa
Binge eating disorder
Risk Factors
Family history (genetic)
Family relationships (enmeshment, overprotection, rigidity, lack of conflict resolution)
Socioeconomic status (urban, high SES)
Perfectionism, low self-esteem, struggle for control
Cultural perception of body weight
Early adverse experiences (prematurity, feeding and sleeping difficulties)
A 22-year-old lady presented to the psychiatric OPD with over 20% weight loss and body mass index of 17kg/m2. Her mental state examination revealed ithat she has a fear of fatness, therefore she avoids eating and shows behaviours aimed at losing weight including vomiting, purging, excessive exercise, use of appetite suppressants and diuretics. She also reports the absence of menstruation for the last few months.
Enlist 10 specific questions that you would ask this patient for the assessment of eating disorder?
How will you manage this case?
Considering the above scenario, what is your provisional diagnosis?
Anorexia Assessment: Eating Attitudes
How much do you eat routinely?
What level of eating-restrictions do you exercise?
Is there any specific pattern of your eating practices?
For example, a person may feel compelled to eat three times a day, one-third of bread, in 3 minutes.
Are there any special foods or drinks that you avoid?
Do you restrict fluids too?
How is your experience of hunger?
Are there any episodes during which you feel compelled to eat a huge amount of food?
Are these episodes planned?
How does it start?
Have you ever tried to induce vomiting?
Can you tell me more about how you do this?
Have you ever seen blood in your vomitus?
Have you ever used an appetite suppressant or a diuretic?
Do you exercise? How much?
Have you experienced any changes in your menses?
Can you eat while others are around?
What is your opinion about your body build and shape?
Management
Listen to the patient carefully, develop a therapeutic relationship.
Carry out an OPD-based assessment.
Decide whether the patient needs admission or any urgent medical treatment. Admit if needed and agreed and continue with a more comprehensive assessment while she is hospitalized.
Start clinical management with education and supportive counseling.
Educate the patient about the condition, its causes, treatments, consequences if left untreated. Let her ask questions and address their concerns.
Agree with a treatment plan with the patient and initiate it.
Multidisciplinary Supportive care, including psychoeducation and monitoring.
Weight restoration is a key priority
Start a psychological therapy (either CBT-ED, MANTRA or SSCM, as preferred by the patient)
A 19-year-old female is brought to the OPD on account of persistent refusal to eat adequately. For the past year, she is on a diet plan as she thinks she is fat. Her mother is worried because she looks very thin, has frequent headaches and episodes of fainting. Recently there have been three proposals for her but were declined. On examination, she is 5 feet and 7 inches tall and has a weight of 40 kg. She has a low mood. occasional episodes of weeping and feeling of inadequacy, about herself.
What is the most likely diagnosis?
What hematological abnormalities would be present in this case?
Calculate her BMI?
How would you manage her in light of current guidelines?
Diagnosis
Anorexia nervosa
Haematological abnormalities
Normocytic normochromic anaemia
Mild leucopenia with relative lymphocytosis
Thrombocytopenia
Calculate Bmi
Divide the patient’s weight in KG by height in meters. Then divide the answer by height in meters again.
OR Calculate BMI by dividing weight in pounds (lbs.) by height in inches (in) squared and multiplying by a conversion factor of 703.
1 kg=2.2 pound
Feet in centimeters: multiply the length value by 30.5
Inches to feet: divide the length value by 12
Feet to inches=multiply by 12
5—1525’1—154
5’2—1575’3—160
5’4—1625’5—165
5’6—1675’7---170
Height = 5 feet 7 inches=
7/12 = .6 (approx.) feet
5.6 feet x 30.5 = (5x30.5=)152.5+ (0.6x30=)18=170.5cm
40/1.7=400/17=23.5/1.7=230/17=13.8 or 14kg/m2
Or
5 feet 7 inches =5x12=60+7=67 inches
Weight= 40kg x 2.2=88 lbs.
(67/88) x 703= 13.8
e.g. Weight = 100 kg, Height= 1.5 meters.
100/1.5= 66
66/1.5= 44
Or multiply your height then divide your weight by it.
e.g. 1.5x1.5= 2.25
100/2.25=44
A 19-year-old young girl is brought by her mother with a history of lack of interest and avoidance of food, weight loss of 18 kg (during the last three months), fear of gaining weight, disturbed sleep, menstrual irregularities, and irritability. On examination, blood pressure is 90/60 mmHg, the pulse is 56 beats per minute, with physical emaciation. Neuropsychiatric evaluation reveals mild cognitive impairment.
Give your differential diagnosis for this case.
What further investigation would you carry out giving justification?
How would you manage this patient?
Differentials
Anorexia nervosa
Depressive episode (ICD-10)/major depressive disorder (DSM-5)
Hyperthyroidism
Restrictive food intake disorder
Investigations
Obtain baselines investigations including CBC, Serum electrolytes and urea, Liver and renal function tests, ECG, Chest x-ray and blood glucose. A long list of other investigations may be carried out based on the findings of these investigations, examination, and history, for example:
Hormonal assay (TFTs, estrogen, growth hormone, etc.)
Lipid profile
Serum albumin
Serum carotene level
Calcium and phosphate
Echocardiography
Psychological Investigations may include the Eating attitudes test, CGI, HADs for depression screening or HAMD for the severity of depression
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your Thoughts?