The significance of selected markers of the nutritional status of children and adolescents with anorexia nervosa, with special regard to lipid and protein metabolism

Introduction: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious psychiatric disorder that can be considered a model of simple starvation. The highest risk of AN onset occurs during adolescence, and the prevalence of AN among Czech adolescents increased sharply in 2020-2023. Dyslipidaemia and alterations in fatty acid (FA) metabolism are common in patients with AN. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional and clinical status of adolescents with AN, including changes in plasma lipid levels and profiles of plasma FAs and BAs, in comparison with healthy controls (HC). Another goal was to compare how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (March 2020-March 2022) affected the nutritional and clinical status of patients compared with those diagnosed before the pandemic (March 2018-March 2020). Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional single-center study was divided into two parts: 1) 37 adolescent girls with AN, including those diagnosed before (ANpreCov, N = 19) and during (ANCov, N = 18) the pandemic, were compared with a HC group (N = 15). Anthropometric, clinical, and laboratory parameters were compared across all groups. 2) 39 adolescent girls with restrictive AN (AN-R) were analysed for plasma FA and BA profiles and compared with a group of 35 healthy controls (HC). Results: No significant differences...