WELLINGTON New Zealand doctors have been startled by the case of a 72-year-old woman who developed anorexia nervosa, a slimming disorder typically associated with teenagers, DPA reported on Tuesday.

The woman lost 25 kilograms when she cut out all sweet foods, dairy products, red meat and fat from her diet, walked 3 kilometers a day and was found in her room exercising heavily and covered in sweat, the *** New Zealand Herald *** reported.

The weight loss came within two years of her husband's death and she still felt heavy despite weighing only 40 kilograms, the *** Herald *** said, quoting a report in the Australian and New Zealand journal of *** Psychiatry ***.

The case has surprised doctors and eating disorder groups, who are unaware of any similar diagnoses in an elderly patient, the newspaper said.

The report by Dr. Shailesh Kumar, a psychiatrist at Rotorua Hospital, and two colleagues, urged the medical profession not to rule out a diagnosis of anorexia just because a patient is elderly.