Changes of body composition in bulimia nervosa: increased visceral fat and adrenal gland size.

Objective: To study the hypothesis that young women suffering from active bulimia nervosa (BN) have more visceral fat and increased adrenal gland volumes (AGV) than healthy controls (HC).

Methods: Thirteen patients with BN of purging type and 11 healthy age and weight matched women (HC), aged between 19 and 36 years (mean 24 +/- 3 years), with a BMI of 19 to 29 (mean 24 +/- SD 3) were examined. BN was diagnosed by DSM-IV criteria and the severity of illness by the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-2).