Serum cholesterol in bulimia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this retrospective study was to replicate and to extend previous work indicating that bulimia nervosa is associated with elevated serum levels of cholesterol and to examine the association between cholesterol and other clinical and serum measures.

METHODS

Clinical characteristics and laboratory data including nonfasting cholesterol and thyroid indices were collected from charts of 119 women with bulimia nervosa and 42 female controls.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference between the two groups in mean age or body mass index. The mean serum cholesterol level of the patient group was statistically significantly greater than that of the control group (patients: 194 +/- 36 mg/dl; controls: 176 +/- 34 mg/dl; t = 2.77; df = 159; p =.006). The mean calculated free T4 of the bulimia nervosa patient group was statistically lower than that of the control group (patients: 1.89 +/- 0.32; controls: 2.09 +/- 0.26; t = 2.86; df = 141; p =.005). There was no correlation between calculated free T4 and serum cholesterol within the combined group (r =.04, p >.5, N = 143) or within the patient group (r =.08, p >.3, N = 118).

CONCLUSIONS

The average serum level of cholesterol is elevated in the patients with bulimia nervosa. The mechanism for and the consequences of this abnormality are uncertain.