Abstract
Anorexia nervosa starting at the onset of puberty may induce an arrest of development. We report the cases of five children, four girls and one boy, who started anorexia nervosa at the age of 12 to 13 years. Investigations were performed one to four years after the onset of weight loss. Clinical, psychological and biological signs are typical of anorexia nervosa. Decreased growth rate, delayed bone maturation and arrest of pubertal development is documented in all cases. The serum HGH response to standard stimulation tests is normal. The serum LH and FSH response to LHRH stimulation is immature and comparable to that of unpubertal children. Reversion from pubertal to immature pattern of gonadotropin response is documented in one case.
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Wolter, R., Vanderschueren-Lodeweyckx, M., Caufriez, A. et al. Arrest in growth and pubertal development in anorexia nervosa. Pediatr Res 12, 161 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197802000-00092
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197802000-00092
