Conditions: Anorexia Nervosa Osteopenia Osteoporosis Eating Disorders
Keywords: Anorexia Nervosa Eating disorder Bone Growth hormone Osteopenia Osteoporosis
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 21
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Decreased bone strength is a serious medical problem present in many women with Anorexia Nervosa, or disordered eating. Women with weaker bones are more likely to suffer broken bones than women with normal bone strength.

We are investigating whether a hormone that is naturally produced by the human body, called growth hormone, can help strengthen the bones of women with this type of disordered eating.

Detailed description:
* Twelve week study
* Eight visits, six of which can be conducted at your home physician's office
* Two bone density scans
* Hormonal and nutritional evaluations

Arms:
arm 1: Treatment with rHGH arm 2: Treatment with Placebo

Interventions: intervention 1: Recombinant Human Growth Hormone intervention 2: Placebo for Recombinant Human Growth Hormone
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Dosage increased in steps for first four weeks. Self injection qd x 12 weeks intervention 2: Administered as Arm 1, rHGH active Injection qd x 12 weeks Dosage increase over four weeks

Protocol document: