Pituitary and Adrenal Function in Undernutrition with Mental Illness: (including Anorexia Nervosa)
A metopirone (SU 4885) test for pituitary-adrenal function was employed in six patients with severe chronic under-nutrition associated with psychiatric illness including four with anorexia nervosa.

In each case urinary total 17-hydroxysteroids increased by more than 10 mg./day. This is a normal response, and indicates that pituitary-adrenal was intact, although in two patients basal steroid excretions were subnormal and one of them had previously been treated for pan-hypopituitarism.