Two cases of lipedema are presented. They illustrate this clinical syndrome which occurs almost exclusively in women and presents as grossly enlarged legs, thighs and buttocks. The etiology remains uncertain. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

CASE 3, A PATIENT IN STAGE 2: A 52-year-old woman presented with a 7-month history of ankle edema. [amjcaserep.com]

While lipedema presents itself in various ways, diagnosis is possible as early as pre-puberty when inner thigh pads present and at any age when fat gathers and drapes at knees. [lipedemasurgery.com]

• Easy Bruising

  Common symptoms of lipedema include the buildup of fatty tissue in the upper legs, pain, and easy bruising. Doctors use staging to describe how extensive a person’s lipedema is. [medicalnewstoday.com]

  Sometimes the fatty tissue of the legs is tender and patients may complain of easy bruising. History reveals poor-to-no results with diet and exercise from the hips down, although the upper body responds. [bestveintreatment.com]

  In addition to the aesthetic deformity, women also describe pain in the lower extremities, particularly with pressure, as well as easy bruising. Although the condition is well described, it is relatively rare and often misdiagnosed. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

  It is characterized by congenital enlargement of the adipose tissue, or fat, of the legs and upper extremities, with associated pain to touch and easy bruising. [prsinstitute.wustl.edu]

  Easy bruisability is reported with minor bumps creating bruising. Over time, the hyperplasia [over accumulation] of fat in the subcutaneous tissue can begin to affect the channels of lymphatics. [laserlipoandveins.com]

• Pain

  This fatty tissue tends to accumulate fluid causing the affected areas to become swollen and painful. The skin over lipedemic fat bruises easily and is often tender or painful. [younaiplasticsurgery.com]

  Other symptoms may include:10 Painful fat: The fat on the legs and hips may ache and be sensitive or painful to the touch or to any pressure. In the past, sometimes the condition was called adiposis dolorosa, meaning “painful fat.” [dietdoctor.com]

  These fatty areas often resemble fatty tumors and are typically quite painful to the touch. The fat mainly deposits on the insides of the legs and knees, causing pain when the legs touch and rub together. [lymphedemasurgeon.com]

  Pain in affected areas likely Pain in affected areas No pain initially No pain Pain is likely Affected population: Best estimate is 11% adult women (study done in Germany) Unknown; best estimate is a few percent of adult women Low ≥30% of US adults [en.wikipedia.org]

  The use of bandages after the pain disappears is helpful in reducing edema. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

• Swelling

  It's a condition that is not only an overgrowth of fat tissue, but it also has a vascular or lymphatic component with swelling. Lipedema causes swelling in the legs and develops the appearance of tree-like, column-like legs. [livestrong.com]

  Often, patients’ chief complaint is of swelling and enlargement of tissue around the ankle. On careful questioning, the “swelling” may not change much as the day progresses, and it may not subside overnight. [bestveintreatment.com]

  Elevating your legs periodically throughout the day may help relieve orthostatic swelling, which is caused by standing. This type of swelling is common during stage 1. [healthline.com]

  Lymphedema is asymmetric swelling of the limbs often only one arm or leg is affected. Lymphedema causes swelling down to the feet and hands whereas lipedema spares the hands and feet. [laserlipoandveins.com]

• Lymphedema

  In some cases, lipoedema and Lymphedema disorders may overlap and the excess fat deposited in lipoedema may even cause Lymphedema. [lymphedemasurgeon.com]

  Lymphedema involves an impairment of lymph drainage with resultant fluid build-up. Lipedema arises from an orthostatic predisposition to edema in pathologically increased subcutaneous tissue. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

  Stages of lymphedema. October 3, 2012. [woundcareadvisor.com]

  […] no hormonal disturbance Additional Resources: ObesityHelp Lymphedema Forum National Lymphedema Network Dr. [obesityhelp.com]

• Weight Gain

  Lipedema occurs as disproportionate bilateral weight gain, most frequently in the lower body. This weight gain can affect the legs, hips, buttocks, arms, abdomen, and other parts of the body.. [norcallipo.com]

  With weight gain these cells do not increase in number, but rather increase in size. [torontophysiotherapy.ca]

  (Image: Milos Dimic/iStock/GettyImages) Imagine gaining weight and, regardless of your diet or exercise habits, you're unable to lose those pounds. [livestrong.com]

• Leg Swelling

  Symptoms include painful legs and symmetrical leg swelling ending abruptly just above the ankles, known as the ‘cut-off sign’, as seen in Figure 1. [journals.sagepub.com]

  Keywords: lipedema, leg swelling, lipodystrophy, localized adiposity, lower extremity liposuction This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. [doi.org]

• Constipation

  Associated symptoms include easy bruising, gastrointestinal complaints, joint and muscle pain, sleep disturbances, impaired memory, depression, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, diabetes, bloating, constipation, [lipedema.com]

  Women with stage 3 lipedema were also more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea, nausea, constipation and flulike symptoms. [archivesofmedicine.com]

  So, let’s reach out to the best dietitian who can provide you with the best diet plan for constipation. FAQs Can Lipedema Go Away? Although there is no cure for it. But, yes, lipedema can be well-taken of with proper diagnosis and treatment. [fitelo.co]

  A yeast fermentate improves gastrointestinal discomfort and constipation by modulation of the gut microbiome: results from a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled pilot trial. [lipomadoc.org]

• Nausea

  Women with stage 3 lipedema were also more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea, nausea, constipation and flulike symptoms. [archivesofmedicine.com]

• Venous Insufficiency

  Chronic venous insufficiency can cause a similar appearance; however, chronic venous insufficiency results in swelling of the feet and the accumulation of subcutaneous fluid. [lymphedema.com]

  Venous Insufficiency and Veno-Lipo-Lymphedema: The symptoms of Lipedema and venous insufficiency are similar. They both cause heaviness, tenderness, fatigue, and swelling. [lipedema.net]

  Signs of chronic venous insufficiency are present in 20% of patients with lipedema (‘phlebolipedema’). Swelling in patients with chronic venous insufficiency is not symmetrical and indents with pressure. [journals.sagepub.com]

• Contusion

  The effects of diosmin (a benzo-pyrone) upon some high-protein oedemas: lung contusion, and burn and lymphoedema of rat legs. Agents Actions 1985; 17 : 14–20. 174. Suter A, Bommer S, Rechner J. [nature.com]

• Genu Valgum

  Figure 1: Download Figure Woman with Stage 3 lipedema and genu valgum of the right knee and overpronation of the right foot. The medial thigh and knee lipedema fat tissue likely contributed to stress on both legs. Photo by Dr. med. Josef J. Stutz. [degruyter.com]

  As a result of disproportionate adipose tissue increase of the legs, in advanced cases gait disturbances and joint deformities (e.g. genu valgum) may develop. Skin color is unaltered in uncomplicated lipedema. [onlinelibrary.wiley.com]

  Several other co-morbidities and complications are associated with lipedema like lordosis, genu valgum, arthritis of knees, antalgic gait, ankle pronation, varicose veins, cellulitis, etc.[20][5] Cardiovascular risk includes increased aortic stiffness [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

• Grieving

  After taking time to grieve this news, I plunged headlong into the information, found support groups online and chose a doctor. The top lipedema expert in the country, Dr. [weelunk.com]

• Agitation

  The waves will safely agitate the bubbles in the tumescent fluid, which further breaks up the fat, enabling smooth, targeted removal of the stubborn fat while reducing the amount of trauma the body is exposed to. [norcallipo.com]

We can assess your circulation in our non-invasive cutting edge vascular lab as part of your workup to ensure that any issues with blood flow can be addressed, and it is part of your workup at our centers. [lipedemasurgery.com]

Consideration for the following differential diagnosis for lipedema can be helpful when embarking upon further workup to determine proper clinical management. Figure 3 Algorithm for workup in patients presenting with lower extremity enlargement. [dovepress.com]

Further diagnostic tests are usually reserved for special cases that require additional workup. Lipedema is a chronic, progressive disorder marked by the individual variability and unpredictability of its clinical course. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Treatment The typical treatment for lipedema is initially conservative therapy with complete decongestive therapy by a trained Lymphedema therapist. [lymphedemasurgeon.com]

Comprehensive Lipedema Treatment in Los Angeles The only known permanent lipedema treatment is a technique called lymph sparing liposuction surgery. [younaiplasticsurgery.com]

Non Surgical Treatment Medical treatment is largely ineffective. [lipedemasurgery.com]

The treatment continued for a month. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Active treatment for lipedema is required because early diagnosis and treatment can determine the patient's long-term prognosis. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Prognosis Regarding mortality, the prognosis of uncomplicated lipoedema is good; however, regarding healing, the prognosis is poor unless adequate treatment is provided. [sanare.ie]

Obesity is an important risk factor for the severity and prognosis of lipedema. Further studies for a better understanding of the pathogenesis of lipedema and in the end possible curative treatments are urgently needed. [unboundmedicine.com]

The etiology remains uncertain. Although infrequently diagnosed, lipedema is not rare. We report success treating such patients with properly measured and fitted compression garments. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

In this review, we sought to review and identify information in the existing literature with respect to the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and management strategies for lipedema. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

As a result, the true number of women with lipedema, or its epidemiology, is unknown. [lipedema.org]

Lipedema Foundation: Another 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2015 to fund collaborative research that addresses the biology, genetics, and epidemiology of lyipedema. [airosmedical.com]

This review aims to outline current evidence regarding lipedema epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and management. [onlinelibrary.wiley.com]

Epidemiology Although there is no epidemiological data on the prevalence of lipedema, Földi described a prevalence of 11% in women, is extremely rare in men. Herpertz reports that lipedema accounted for 15% of patients in a lymphedema clinic. [diseasesdic.com]

The pathophysiological basis is edematization of the tissues. Lymphedema involves an impairment of lymph drainage with resultant fluid build-up. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Furthermore, consistent information on lipedema pathophysiology is still lacking, and an etiological treatment is not yet available. [onlinelibrary.wiley.com]

Abstract PURPOSE: To enhance the learner's competence in caring for patients with lipedema through understanding the differential diagnoses, pathophysiology, and treatment/management options. [doi.org]

This lesson addresses these issues by describing the presentation, pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of lipoedema in primary care. [elearning.rcgp.org.uk]

This blockage prevents the proper drainage of lymph fluid, leading to a buildup of fluid called lymphedema. [webmd.com]

Compression prevents recurrence of lymphedema, and in some lipedema patients can reduce the pain of the affected fat. There is currently no known uniform medical procedure to cure lipedema. [lipedemasurgery.com]

Tumescent liposuction is the most effective treatment for Lipedema, and it can prevent recurrence for an average of five years. [stanfordhealthcare.org]