Document Type
Article
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine sex differences in cholesterol and triglyceride levels among adolescents and young adults hospitalized for medical complications of eating disorders. METHODS: A retrospective electronic medical record review of patients aged 9-25 years admitted to the University of California, San Francisco Eating Disorders Program for medical stabilization, between 2012 and 2020, was conducted. Non-fasting total cholesterol and triglycerides were collected; however, LDL and HDL levels were not available. RESULTS: Among 83 males and 441 females, mean ± SD age was 15.5 ± 2.8 years, 64.1% had anorexia nervosa, and admission percent median body mass index was 87.3 ± 13.9. The proportion of males and females with high total cholesterol (13.3% vs. 18.1%, Cramer's V = 0.05, p = .28) and high triglyceride levels (9.6% vs. 8.1%, Cramer's V = 0.02, p = .63) did not differ. Mean total cholesterol levels were higher in females compared to males (F 169.6 ± 41.1 mg/dL vs. M 154.5 ± 45.1 mg/dL, Cohen's d = 0.36, p = .003), although a majority were within the normal range. In adjusted linear regression models, male (compared to female) sex (B = -14.40, 95% CI -24.54, -4.27) and higher percent median body mass index (B = -0.33, 95% CI -0.60, -0.06) were associated with lower total cholesterol levels in adjusted models (R = 0.04). DISCUSSION: Building on prior work showing equally severe complications of eating disorders in males compared to females, we did not find sex differences in those presenting with high total cholesterol or triglycerides. Future research is needed to understand the pathophysiology and role of dyslipidemia in acute malnutrition, and the impact of nutritional rehabilitation and weight restoration. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: We found that the proportion of male and female adolescents and young adults hospitalized for medical complications of an eating disorder with high total cholesterol did not significantly differ. Although average total cholesterol levels were higher in female compared to male patients with eating disorders, a majority of these levels remained within the normal range. Patients with more severe malnutrition had a higher risk of elevated total cholesterol levels. Clinicians should consider monitoring cholesterol levels in young people hospitalized for restrictive eating disorders.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Publication Info
Published in The International Journal of Eating Disorders, Volume 57, Issue 1, 2023, pages 184-194.
APA Citation
Nagata, J. M., Chaphekar, A. V., Vargas, R., Nguyen, A., Downey, A. E., Patel, K. P., Ganson, K. T., Stuart, E., Vendlinski, S., Buckelew, S. M., & Garber, A. K. (2023). Sex differences in cholesterol and triglyceride levels among hospitalized adolescents and young adults with eating disorders. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 57(1), 184–194.https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24072
Rights
© 2023 The Authors. International Journal of Eating Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.