Cardiac abnormalities in anorexia nervosa inpatients – a retrospective study

Abstract

Introduction. Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a life-threatening condition, with significant risk of death due to cardiac abnormalities. Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate for QTc interval or heart rate (HR) abnormalities in AN patients and any correlation between BMI, HR and QTc interval at baseline and at completion of treatment. Material and methods. 30 patients (29 females, 1 male) aged 16 to 45 years with a diagnosis of AN were retrospectively analyzed from January 2012 to September 2014. An ECG, biochemical tests, BMI and clinical assessment were performed on admission. ECG and BMI were also repeated at discharge. Results. A paired t-test was used to compare two sets of scores that come from the same participants on both admission and discharge. The mean baseline BMI was 14.8 +/− 4 kg/m 2 , baseline HR was 53.4 +/− 16 bpm and QTc interval 416 +/− 40 ms. At discharge, mean BMI was 18.7 +/− 2 kg/m 2 , HR was 73 +/− 11 bpm and QTc interval 402 +/− 34. The mean QTc interval was decreased by 14 ms and the HR increased by 19 beats/min. A Wilcoxon test showed that the treatment course did not elicit a statistically significant change in HR score in individuals with AN (Z=−4, p=0.000). Pearson correlations showed that patients with a higher magnesium had lower heart rate on admission (r=−0.61; p=0.002). Conclusion. Further exploration is needed in a larger population to investigate for etiology and medical management of cardiac abnormalities in AN.