Biochemical and hematological parameters of patients with eating disordered behaviours

Main Article Content

Walaa Mohammedsaeed
Ahlam El Shikieri

Keywords

Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Eating Disorders, Minerals, Vitamins.

Abstract

Background and aim: Eating Disorders (EDs) are serious mental illnesses that can affect people's health and overall well-being irrespective of age, gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. The current study aims to determine selected biochemical and hematological parameters of Saudi women with various types of disordered eating behaviors.


Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 100 eating-disordered women, who aged 20-40 years at Taibah University. Blood samples were collected from participants to determine selected micronutrients' levels such as iron, vitamin D, folate, vitamin B12, serum electrolytes, as well as levels of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4). Blood samples were analyzed using immunoassay methods. GraphPad Prism 7 was used for the statistical analysis of the results.


Results: The EAT-26 test and the DSM-5 test results indicated that women suffered from three types of EDs, specifically, Anorexia Nervosa (18%), Bulimia Nervosa (32%), and Binge Eating Disorder (50%).Low serum iron, vitamin D, vitamin B12, calcium, magnesium, and albumin were prevalent among AN patients compared to their counterparts. The multivariate analysis results indicated a strong or moderate correlation among the variables in AN, BN and BED patients, with a negative correlation between serum P and serum vitamin D, and between serum Ca and Serum P in AN, BN and BED patients.


Conclusions: The research provides an insight into the various biochemical and hematological abnormalities among women with eating disordered behaviors at a university in Saudi Arabia and emphasizes the need for widespread screening for females in order to identify those individuals who may be suffering from such eating disorders.

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