Anorexia nervosa, bulimia and other related eating disorders are a heterogenous group of psychiatric disorders whose prevalence rates reach 0.5-1.0% for anorexia nervosa and 1.0-3.0% for bulinmia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by a
refusal
to maintain a minimally normal body weight and bulimia is characterized by repeated episodes of binge eating, misuse of laxatives. diuretics or other medications ; fasting and excessive exercise. A disturbance in perception of body shape and
weight
is
an essential feature of both disorders.
Patients with eating disorders may have numerous medical, hypothalamic endocrine, metabolic and nutritional abnormalities. There have been several conceptual models to explain the etiology of eating disorders These are socio-cultural, family
pathological, individual psychodynamic, developmental psychobiologiccl, primary hypothalamic dysfunctional, cognitive-behavioral and affective disorder theories. Among these thoeries, this paper attempts to review the biological theory and
pharmacotherapy in eating disorders. Specifically, this review deals with physiology of eating behavior, neurotransmitter regulation of appetite and eating bvehavior, disturbances in brcin neurotransmitter system, neuroendocrine findings in
anorexia
nervosa and bulimia nervosa. and finally pharmacotherapy.
Based on this review, future directions for research are also sutggested.
Key words : Anorexia nervosa Buli nervosa . biology . pharmacctherapy
|