Diagnosis and management of lipoedema – a review paper

Abstract

Lipoedema is a chronic progressive disorder of adipose tissue leading to an enlargement of lower extremities. It is considered to be rare; however, the prevalence of the disease is underestimated because it is commonly misdiagnosed as obesity or lymphedema and the general awareness is poor. The etiology of the disorder is considered to be multifarious, including genetic inheritance, hormonal imbalance and microcirculation alterations. Diagnosis is mainly based on medical history and physical examination. Management of lipoedema is focused on reducing the symptoms, improving the quality of life and preventing further progression of the disease. The aim of this paper is to raise the awareness of the disease and provide appropriate clinical guidance for the assessment of lipoedema. We searched through the PubMed/MEDLINE database and took into consideration all of the results available as of 6 September, 2020 and outlined the current evidence regarding lipoedema epidemiology, etiology, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and management. Better understanding of lipoedema is crucial for establishing an early diagnosis and a proper treatment, which in turn will reduce the psychological and physical implications associated with the disease.

Women with lipoedema: a national survey on their health, health-related quality of life, and sense of coherence

“…The disease manifests as an abnormal and symmetrical accumulation of nodular and fibrotic subcutaneous fat, mainly in the lower extremities, and which is associated with pain, swelling, tenderness on pressure, and easy bruising in the affected areas [1]. Although lipoedema was described as far back as the 1940s by Allen and Hines [2], it is still considered as being relatively unknown in healthcare and is often misdiagnosed as lifestyle-induced obesity or lymphoedema [3]. Consequently, available data on its prevalence are sparse and divergent.…”