Eating disorders and Axis I psychiatric comorbidity in amenorrheic women

✍ Scribed by Verri, Annapia ;Nappi, Rossella E. ;Cecchini, Alberto Proietti ;Vallero, Emanuela ;Luzi, Stefania ;Zara, Carlo

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 179 KB
• Volume: 24
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0276-3478
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199809)24:2<137::aid-eat3>3.0.co;2-f

✦ Synopsis

Objective:

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between secondary amenorrhea due to different etiologic mechanisms, eating disorders, and psychiatric morbidity in a nonpsychiatric population observed in a gynecological department.

Method:

Amenorrheic women (n = 95) with hypogonadotropic, hyperandrogenic, and hyperprolactinemic features were interviewed individually using the scid-r (structured clinical interview for dsm-iii-r) to diagnose axis i disorders including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, adjustment disorders, and eating disorders. binge eating disorder was diagnosed according to dsm-iv criteria.

Results:

The incidence of eating disorders was significantly higher in hypogonadic women than in hyperandrogenic and hyperprolactinemic subjects (chi 2 = 23.03, p < .003). however, we also found a high percentage of hyperandrogenic women suffering from an eating disorder (40.9%) with a prevalence of binge eating disorder (27.2%), while the only eating disorder described in the hyperprolactinemic group was the not otherwise specified. in addition, a marked psychiatric comorbidity was found in amenorrheic women suffering from an eating disorder but a similar trend of pathologies was also found in amenorrheic women, without any positive scid diagnosis for an abnormal eating disorder.

Discussion:

Our study demonstrated that a high incidence of eating disorders, mainly anorexia and binge eating, characterizes hypogonadic and hyperandrogenic women, respectively. in addition, secondary amenorrhea displays a wide spectrum of axis i diagnoses, without a significant comorbidity with eating disorders. whether or not the endocrine findings related to the amenorrheic condition constitute a common background for the occurrence of psychopathology or, alternatively, the presence of psychiatric disturbances may contribute to the development of menstrual dysfunction remain to be clarified.