Screening for osteoporosis in anorexia nervosa: prevalence and predictors of reduced bone mineral density.

Objective: Decreased bone mineral density (BMD) in anorexia nervosa (AN) can be detected easily by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). This study was designed to assess the prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia in AN, identify predictors, and determine the diagnostic yield of screening with DXA.

Method: DXA was used to screen 59 unselected adult patients with a history of AN.