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The DST and TRH Test in Bulimia Nervosa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Allan S. Kaplan ,
Paul E. Garfinkel  and
Gregory M. Brown
Allan S. Kaplan*
Affiliation:
Eating Disorder Centre, Toronto General Hospital; University of Toronto
Paul E. Garfinkel
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Toronto General Hospital; University of Toronto
Gregory M. Brown
Affiliation:
McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
*
∗CW 1-311, Toronto General Hospital, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada
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Abstract

Abnormal neuroendocrine responses have been found in depression and eating disorders. It remains unclear whether these reflect an underlying shared biology or epiphenomena. To evaluate this further, we conducted the 1 mg DST and the TSH response to 500 μg i.v. TRH in normal-weight bulimics and controls. Bulimics (n = 18) demonstrated significantly more DST non-suppression (45%) than controls (18%; n = 20). In the bulimic group, non-suppressors were significantly thinner than suppressors, but did not differ from them on any measure of depression. Bulimics (n = 19) and controls (n = 12) responded similarly without blunting on the TSH response to TRH. These data suggest that DST non-suppression may be related to non-specific variables such as weight. Bulimics do not demonstrate TSH blunting as found in some depressed patients. These tests do not support evidence for a biological link between these disorders.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 154 , Issue 1 , January 1989 , pp. 86 - 92
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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