Growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 secretions in eating disorders: Correlations with psychopathological aspects of the disorders

Hormonal alterations in Eating Disorders (ED) may result from the biochemical stress of malnutrition/starvation. The correlations between some hormonal impairments, particularly of the somatotropic axis, and the psychopathological aspects of ED are still undefined. We measured the plasma concentrations of the somatotropic hormone (GH) and the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in 136 patients with various forms of ED, 65 with restricted Anorexia Nervosa (ANR), 19 with bingeing-purging Anorexia Nervosa (ANBP), 12 with purging-non hinging Anorexia Nervosa (ANP), 26 with Bulimia Nervosa (BN), 8 with ED not otherwise specified-anorexic type (EDNOS-AN), 7 with ED not otherwise specified-bulimic type (EDNOS-BN) and in 30 healthy controls. Psychological assessment of patients and controls was performed using two outpatient rating scales, the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2) and the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). Significant negative or positive correlations were observed between GH-IGF-1 concentrations and impairments on several EDI-2 subscales (drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, interoceptive awareness, sense of ineffectiveness, interpersonal distrust, maturity fear) and on SCL-90 subitems (depression, hostility, obsessivity compulsivity, anxiety), suggesting a possible hormonal modulatory effect on specific aspects of ED psychopathology.