Homocysteine plasma levels are elevated in females with anorexia nervosa

Summary. In the present pilot study significantly (T = 2.46, P = 0.018) higher levels of homocysteine were found in female anorectic patients (14.07, SD 7.3µmol/l; n = 18) when compared with bulimic patients (10.25, SD 2.82; n = 27) or healthy controls (8.10, SD 1.79; n = 25). Since homocysteine can induce neuronal cell death leading to brain atrophy in different diseases and since it has been linked to depressive disorders these findings may have important implications for understanding common symptoms in patients suffering from anorexia.Present address: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Basel, Switzerland