Socio-demographic Characteristics, Biochemical and Cytokine Levels in Bulimia Nervosa Candidates for Sleeve Gastrectomy

Eating disorders (EDs) are widely known by abnormal eating behaviors associated with significant medical complications. Bulimia nervosa (BN) is an eating disorder characterized by uncontrolled episodes of overeating typically followed by some form of compensatory behaviors. We aimed to determine the relationships between socio-demographic characteristics, biochemical markers, and cytokine levels in BN candidates for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG).

A case-control study was designed among 76 BN participants of Iranian descent who were candidates for LSG based on defined criteria for Bulimia by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). The healthy control subjects (n = 42) were selected at random from academic staff in the college. Moreover, levels of biochemical parameters and serum cytokines were measured in serum samples.

Routine consumption of caffeine (odds ratio [OR] = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.23–6.41, P = 0.013), tobacco (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 0.67–3.57, P = 0.03), and alcohol (OR = 3.6, 95% CI: 0.84–7.18, P = 0.048), and depression history (OR = 2.8, 95% CI: 0.76– 5.79, P = 0.037) were substantially more common among patients with bulimia. Also, the serum levels of fasting blood sugar (P < 0.001), HbA1c (P = 0.04), cholesterol (P = 0.03), triglycerides (P = 0.01), blood urea nitrogen (P = 0.03), and pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α were significantly higher in BN candidates for LSG (P ≤ 0.001).

Our findings reveal that lifestyle-related risk factors and a depression history were both related with a significantly increased risk of BN among the candidates for LSG. Furthermore, there is a relationship between clinical characteristics as well as levels of various biochemical and cytokines parameters in serum of BN patients.