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Carotenoderma in a young woman of normal body mass index with hypothalamic amenorrhoea: a 2-year follow-up case report

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 68, pages 1362–1364 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

Hypothalamic amenorrhoea has been shown to be associated with hypercarotenaemia, but no causal link has been established. Many people are unaware of the health implications of carotenoderma. We report on a 36-year-old woman with normal body mass index and with a history of secondary amenorrhoea for 2 years and carotenoderma for 5 years. She had a history of practising a fixed-menu diet of predominantly leafy greens, exercised intensively and had a stressful job. Blood tests confirmed the presence of hypercarotenaemia and hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. Carotenoderma subsided after 6 months of lifestyle modification, but she remained amenorrhoeic up to 12 months later. Since then, her condition had relapsed up to the time of 2 years of follow-up. We conclude that hypercarotenaemia/carotenoderma and hypothalamic amenorrhoea are manifestations of a constrained lifestyle rather than causally linked. The presence of carotenoderma should alert public individuals and clinicians, especially in primary care, alike for signs of potential health complications including reproductive dysfunction even without weight problems.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Professor MEJ Lean, Rank Professor of Human Nutrition, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, University of Glasgow, Scotland, for his insightful comments.

Author contributions

All authors were involved in study design, drafting the manuscript and revising it critically, and read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust, Chertsey, UK

    M Nyekiova, S Ghaderi & T S Han

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  1. M Nyekiova
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  2. S Ghaderi
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  3. T S Han
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Correspondence to T S Han.

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Supplementary Information accompanies this paper on European Journal of Clinical Nutrition website

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Nyekiova, M., Ghaderi, S. & Han, T. Carotenoderma in a young woman of normal body mass index with hypothalamic amenorrhoea: a 2-year follow-up case report. Eur J Clin Nutr 68, 1362–1364 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2014.128

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