WE RECENTLY encountered a patient with anorexia nervosa who demonstrated pancytopenia, a hypoplastic bone marrow, and notable acanthocytosis. Although this constellation of findings has been reported in anorexia nervosa, to our knowledge, it is not fully described in major textbooks of hematology and has not previously been reported in the American medical literature. In addition, we have further verified the association of acanthocytosis and low levels of β-lipoproteins in a patient with anorexia nervosa.
Report of a Case
An 18-year-old woman had been examined for weight loss and amenorrhea in 1975 and had the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa since that time. She had been hospitalized one week before admission because of worsening anorexia and cachexia. At that time the hematocrit value was 40%, and the WBC count was 3,400/cu mm, with a normal differential cell count. No comment was made about an abnormal RBC morphological condition.Following 12 hours of