Ghrelin With Anorexia Nervosa

Level of Ghrelin With Anorexia Nervosa (AN) Patients. Subgroup AN: With and Without Tubefeeding.

The PICOWO research group in corporation with the University of Amsterdam (Artificial Intelligence) has developed a computer simulationmodel of eating disorders (Bosse, Delfos, Jonker & Treur, 2003). In a running Phd project we want to add ghrelin to the model. The idea for this current research is to collect clinical information about the functioning and (patho)physiology of ghrelin in patients with AN, so we can extend the simulation.

Eating disorders are in need of new perspectives. A better understanding of the appetite in patients with eating disorders, especially Anorexia Nervosa, could be investigated by the levels of ghrelin in patients with and without tube feeding.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Studypopulation: Patiënts: all female, non -age coupled.
• Subgroup patients without tube feeding, with tube feeding and a healthy matched control group.
• Control group: healty volunteers of the University of Maastricht.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with a history of eating disorder different than AN or a psychiatric history.
• Control group: no history of eating disorders or other psychiatric disabilities. Normal physical examination, ecg, laboratorium (blood cells, liver, kidneys)