The prevalence and correlates of haematological abnormalities in adult inpatients with anorexia nervosa

Abstract

Introduction

There is only limited literature concerning haematological abnormalities in anorexia nervosa (AN), with little past investigation into these abnormalities in adult AN patients admitted to inpatient eating disorder (ED) units.

Objectives

This study sought to determine the prevalence and severity of haematological abnormalities in admitted AN patients, and to examine correlates of these abnormalities.

Methods

All adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of AN admitted to the Cotswold House specialist ED inpatient unit between November 2013 and December 2014 were included in the study. Demographic, anthropometric and haematological parameters were systematically recorded for the duration of each admission. The proportions of patients affected by haematological abnormalities (anaemia, leucocytopaenia, neutropaenia, thrombocytopaenia and pancytopaenia) were selected as primary outcomes, and binary logistic regression was performed using SPSS 22.0.

Results

A total of 37 AN patients (91.9% female; mean age: 29.7 years) were included in this study, with a mean admission BMI of 13.7 kg/m² (SD: 1.8) and a mean admission duration of 128 days; 54.1% of patients were anaemic, 64.9% of patients experienced leucocytopaenia, 56.8% of patients developed neutropaenia, 16.2% of patients suffered thrombocytopaenia, and 8.1% of patients were pancytopaenic. Logistic regression identified low admission BMI (P = 0.009) and low serum albumin level (P = 0.017) as significant correlates of anaemia, and isolated increased age (P = 0.034) as a significant associate of leucocytopaenia.

Conclusions

Haematological abnormalities occur frequently in AN inpatients. Given the frequency at which abnormalities occurred in this cohort, further large-scale and prospective studies examining haematological abnormalities in inpatient AN populations are warranted.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.