Inclusion Criteria
Inclusion criteria: •Women, aged > 18 to < 35 years
- Having severe anorexia nervosa (AN) (DSM-IV-R) for > 12 months before screening
- Presenting with very low bone mineral density (defined as Z-Score < -2.5 or T-Score <
-2.5 if available) of at least one of the assessed localizations (lumbar spine L1 -
L4, total hip, femoral neck) without any previous fragility fracture
- or low bone mineral density (defined as Z-Score < -1.5 or T-Score < -1.5 if
available) of at least one of the assessed localizations (lumbar spine L1 - L4, total
hip, femoral neck) and at least one previous fragility fracture
- In- and out-patients of the Centre for Eating Disorders at the Clinic for Psychiatry
and Psychotherapy of the University Hospital of Zurich.
Exclusion criteria: Metabolic bone diseases other than primary osteoporosis (including
hyperparathyroidism, osteomalacia, Paget's disease of bone), pre-existing hypercalcemia,
severe renal impairment (GFR < 30 ml/min), prior external beam or implant radiation
therapy to the skeleton, skeletal malignancies or bone metastases, any unknown elevation
of serum alkaline phosphatase, severe psychiatric diseases other than AN, drug addiction,
HIV positive patients, pregnancy, open epiphyses
•Incapacity to understand the aims of the study or patients not willing to collaborate.