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Journal of Personalized Medicine Dec 2022When studying the current literature, one might get the impression that lipedema is a "modern" disease, with increasing incidence and augmenting prevalence throughout... (Review)
Review
When studying the current literature, one might get the impression that lipedema is a "modern" disease, with increasing incidence and augmenting prevalence throughout Western countries during the last decade. However, a quick look into older textbooks shows that disproportionate accumulation of fat in female bodies has long been known without being recognized as an independent disease. Nevertheless, it was not until 1940 that Allen and Hines described a in a seminal publication. The mere awareness that people who have lipedema are not just overweight but suffer from a yet poorly defined pathological condition, may be considered a decisive leap forward in the understanding of lipedema. A number of comprehensive publications have since dealt with the clinical presentation of lipedema and have provided the first clues towards the potential pathological mechanisms underlying its initiation and progression. Nevertheless, despite all effort that has been undertaken to unravel lipedema pathology, many questions have remained unanswered. What can be deduced with certainty from all experimental and medical evidence available so far is that lipedema is neither a cosmetic problem nor is it a problem of lifestyle but should be accepted as a serious disease with yet undetermined genetic background, which makes women's lives unbearable from both a physical and psychological point of view. To date, results from clinical inspections have led to the categorization of various types and stages of lipedema, describing how the extremities are affected and evaluating its progression, as demonstrated by skin alterations, adipose tissue volume increase and physical and everyday-behavioral impediments. There is accumulating evidence showing that advanced stages of lipedema are usually accompanied by excessive weight or obesity. Thus, it is not unreasonable to assume that the progression of lipedema is largely driven by weight gain and the pathological alterations associated with it. Similarly, secondary lymphedema is frequently found in lipedema patients at advanced stages. Needless to say, both conditions considerably blur the clinical presentation of lipedema, making diagnosis difficult and scientific research challenging. The present literature review will focus on lipedema research, based on evidence fromex vivo and in vitro data, which has accumulated throughout the last few decades. We will also open the discussion as to whether the currently used categorization of lipedema stages is still sufficient and up-to-date for the accurate description of this enigmatic disease, whose name, strangely enough, does not match its pathologic correlate.
PubMed: 36675759
DOI: 10.3390/jpm13010098 -
La Clinica Terapeutica 2023This scholarly article delves into the multifaceted domains of human cloning, encompassing its biological underpinnings, ethical dimensions, and broader societal... (Review)
Review
This scholarly article delves into the multifaceted domains of human cloning, encompassing its biological underpinnings, ethical dimensions, and broader societal implications. The exposition commences with a succinct historical and contextual overview of human cloning, segueing into an in-depth exploration of its biological intri-cacies. Central to this biological scrutiny is a comprehensive analysis of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and its assorted iterations. The accomplishments and discoveries in cloning technology, such as successful animal cloning operations and advances in the efficiency and viability of cloned embryos, are reviewed. Future improvements, such as reprogramming procedures and gene editing technology, are also discussed. The discourse extends to ethical quandaries intrinsic to human cloning, entailing an extensive contemplation of values such as human dignity, autonomy, and safety. Furthermore, the ramifications of human cloning on a societal plane are subjected to scrutiny, with a dedicated emphasis on ramifications encompassing personal identity, kinship connections, and the fundamental notion of maternity. Culminating the analysis is a reiteration of the imperative to develop and govern human cloning technology judiciously and conscientiously. Finally, it discusses several ethical and practical issues, such as safety concerns, the possibility of exploitation, and the erosion of human dignity, and emphasizes the significance of carefully considering these issues.
Topics: Animals; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Cloning, Organism; Nuclear Transfer Techniques; Self Concept; Biology
PubMed: 37994769
DOI: 10.7417/CT.2023.2492 -
Life (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2021Lipedema is a pathology of adipose tissue, still of unclear etiology and challenging to diagnose. For these reasons, a therapeutic approach is also complex and sometimes...
Lipedema is a pathology of adipose tissue, still of unclear etiology and challenging to diagnose. For these reasons, a therapeutic approach is also complex and sometimes controversial. The inflammation state present in lipedema can be limited by controlling the glycemic peaks. Specifically, the ketogenic diet (KD) seems to have the right conditions to be effective. Herein, we reported a subject diagnosed with lipedema who, with only KD nutritional intervention, achieved a significant weight loss (-41 Kg), with a net decrease in body circumferences, and also reporting an improvement in pain, and therefore in the overall quality of life. She refused other types of intervention and kept KD for two years. This case could represent the first step to organize a KD nutritional protocol specifically applied to lipedema.
PubMed: 34947933
DOI: 10.3390/life11121402 -
Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical... Mar 2018Background Lipedema is a chronic disorder presenting in women during puberty or other times of hormonal change such as childbirth or menopause, characterized by... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Background Lipedema is a chronic disorder presenting in women during puberty or other times of hormonal change such as childbirth or menopause, characterized by symmetric enlargement of nodular, painful subcutaneous adipose tissue (fat) in the limbs, sparing the hands, feet and trunk. Healthcare providers underdiagnose or misdiagnose lipedema as obesity or lymphedema. Materials and methods The benefits (friend) and negative aspects (foe) of lipedema were collected from published literature, discussions with women with lipedema, and institutional review board approved evaluation of medical charts of 46 women with lipedema. Results Lipedema is a foe because lifestyle change does not reduce lipedema fat, the fat is painful, can become obese, causes gait and joint abnormalities, fatigue, lymphedema and psychosocial distress. Hypermobility associated with lipedema can exacerbate joint disease and aortic disease. In contrast, lipedema fat can be a friend as it is associated with relative reductions in obesity-related metabolic dysfunction. In new data collected, lipedema was associated with a low risk of diabetes (2%), dyslipidemia (11.7%) and hypertension (13%) despite an obese average body mass index (BMI) of 35.3 ± 1.7 kg/m2. Conclusion Lipedema is a painful psychologically distressing fat disorder, more foe than friend especially due to associated obesity and lymphedema. More controlled studies are needed to study the mechanisms and treatments for lipedema.
Topics: Adiposity; Biomarkers; Body Mass Index; Comorbidity; Humans; Life Style; Lipedema; Severity of Illness Index; Subcutaneous Fat
PubMed: 29522416
DOI: 10.1515/hmbci-2017-0076 -
Medical Hypotheses Jan 2021Lipedema (LI) is a common yet misdiagnosed condition, often misconstrued with obesity. LI affects women almost exclusively, and its painful and life-changing symptoms...
Lipedema (LI) is a common yet misdiagnosed condition, often misconstrued with obesity. LI affects women almost exclusively, and its painful and life-changing symptoms have long been thought to be resistant to the lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise. In this paper, we discuss possible mechanisms by which patients adopting a ketogenic diet (KD) can alleviate many of the unwanted clinical features of LI. This paper is also an effort to provide evidence for the hypothesis of the potency of this dietary intervention for addressing the symptoms of LI. Specifically, we examine the scientific evidence of effectiveness of adopting a KD by patients to alleviate clinical features associated with LI, including excessive and disproportionate lower body adipose tissue (AT) deposition, pain, and reduction in quality of life (QoL). We also explore several clinical features of LI currently under debate, including the potential existence and nature of edema, metabolic and hormonal dysfunction, inflammation, and fibrosis. The effectiveness of a KD on addressing clinical features of LI has been demonstrated in human studies, and shows promise as an intervention for LI. We hope this paper leads to an improved understanding of optimal nutritional management for patients with LI and stimulates future research in this area of study.
Topics: Diet, Ketogenic; Exercise; Female; Humans; Lipedema; Obesity; Quality of Life
PubMed: 33303304
DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.110435 -
Lymphatic Research and Biology Aug 2022Lipedema is a distinct adipose disorder from obesity necessitating awareness as well as different management approaches to address pain and optimize quality of life...
Lipedema is a distinct adipose disorder from obesity necessitating awareness as well as different management approaches to address pain and optimize quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this proof-of-principle study is to evaluate the therapeutic potential of physical therapy interventions in women with lipedema. Participants with Stage 1-2 lipedema and early Stage 0-1 lymphedema ( = 5, age = 38.4 ± 13.4 years, body mass index = 27.2 ± 4.3 kg/m) underwent nine visits of physical therapy in 6 weeks for management of symptoms impacting functional mobility and QoL. Pre- and post-therapy, participants were scanned with 3 Tesla sodium and water magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), underwent biophysical measurements, and completed questionnaires measuring function and QoL (patient-specific functional scale, PSFS, and RAND-36). Pain was measured at each visit using the 0-10 visual analog scale (VAS). Treatment effect was calculated for all study variables. The primary symptomatology measures of pain and function revealed clinically significant post-treatment improvements and large treatment effects (Cohen's for pain VAS = -2.5 and PSFS = 4.4). The primary sodium MRI measures, leg skin sodium, and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) sodium, reduced following treatment and revealed large treatment effects (Cohen's for skin sodium = -1.2 and SAT sodium = -0.9). This proof-of-principle study provides support that persons with lipedema can benefit from physical therapy to manage characteristic symptoms of leg pain and improve QoL. Objective MRI measurement of reduced tissue sodium in the skin and SAT regions indicates reduced inflammation in the treated limbs. Further research is warranted to optimize the conservative therapy approach in lipedema, a condition for which curative and disease-modifying treatments are unavailable.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Lipedema; Middle Aged; Musculoskeletal Manipulations; Pain; Physical Therapy Modalities; Quality of Life; Sodium
PubMed: 34748408
DOI: 10.1089/lrb.2021.0039 -
Nutrients Aug 2023In recent years, the use of the ketogenic diet as a proper nutritional treatment for lipedema has been hypothesized in the literature. This is the first clinical study...
In recent years, the use of the ketogenic diet as a proper nutritional treatment for lipedema has been hypothesized in the literature. This is the first clinical study evaluating the ketogenic diet and carboxytherapy in lipedema patients. In the present study, it was decided to use a modified Mediterranean ketogenic diet (MMKD) in combination with carboxytherapy. Since lipedema is characterized by microangiopathy, local hypoxia, and increased subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) deposition, carboxytherapy could improve painful symptoms and skin tone. A total of 22 subjects were included in the data analysis, divided into three groups; 8 patients underwent MMKD combined with carboxytherapy sessions (KDCB group), 8 underwent MMKD nutritional treatment alone (KD group), and 6 patients underwent only carboxytherapy sessions (CB group), for a total of 10 weeks of treatment for all three groups. It was observed that the ketogenic diet effectively induced weight and fat mass loss, including in the limbs, areas considered unresponsive to diet therapy in lipedema patients. However, the best results were obtained from the combination of the ketogenic diet and carboxytherapy, which showed improvements in both body composition and skin texture and a reduction in pain, along with an improvement in sleep quality. It would be helpful to conduct a clinical trial on a larger scale and over a more extended period to observe the results in the long term as well.
Topics: Humans; Lipedema; Pilot Projects; Diet, Ketogenic; Diet, Mediterranean; Subcutaneous Fat; Pain
PubMed: 37630844
DOI: 10.3390/nu15163654 -
Nutrients Jan 2021Lipoedema is a subcutaneous adipose tissue disease characterized by the increase in the amount and structure of fat mass (FM) in specific areas, causing pain and...
Lipoedema is a subcutaneous adipose tissue disease characterized by the increase in the amount and structure of fat mass (FM) in specific areas, causing pain and discomfort. 95% of patients fail to lose weight in the lipoedema areas. The study was conducted to evaluate body composition and general health status modification in a group of lipoedema patients (LIPPY) and a control group (CTRL) after four weeks of a modified Mediterranean diet therapy (mMeD). A total of 29 subjects were included in the data analysis, divided in two groups: 14 LIPPY and 15 CTRL. After the mMeD, both groups significantly decreased their weight and body mass index; the CTRL also showed a reduction of all the circumferences and all FM's compartments. LIPPY showed a decrease of FM in upper and lower limbs. No significant differences in Δ% between the groups were observed for the lean mass (LM). In LIPPY, an increase in the patients' ability to perform various daily physical activities related to the loss of arms' and legs' fat was observed. According to the European Quality of Life scale, the possibility for LIPPY subjects to perform simple daily activities with less fatigue, pain and anxiety is highlighted. Further long-term studies are recommended to confirm the mMeD as a good strategy for Lipoedema treatment.
Topics: Body Composition; Diet, Mediterranean; Female; Humans; Lipedema; Middle Aged; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 33504026
DOI: 10.3390/nu13020358 -
Ugeskrift For Laeger Dec 2022Lipoedema is an overlooked and often misdiagnosed condition, which mainly affects women. This review summarises the present knowledge of the condition. It is... (Review)
Review
Lipoedema is an overlooked and often misdiagnosed condition, which mainly affects women. This review summarises the present knowledge of the condition. It is characterised by bilateral and symmetrical accumulation of subcutaneous adipose tissue mainly in the legs. Patients with lipoedema often display tenderness to palpation or spontaneous pain in the adipose tissue. Lipoedema is diagnosed based on the medical history and clinical findings. Treatment includes conservative and surgical options with the aim of relieving symptoms and increasing mobility, but there is a paucity of randomised controlled trials.
Topics: Humans; Female; Lipedema; Adipose Tissue; Leg; Diagnosis, Differential; Diagnostic Errors
PubMed: 36621873
DOI: No ID Found -
International Journal of Women's Health 2016Lipedema is an uncommon disorder characterized by localized adiposity of the lower extremities, often occurring in females with a family history of the condition. The... (Review)
Review
Lipedema is an uncommon disorder characterized by localized adiposity of the lower extremities, often occurring in females with a family history of the condition. The adiposity extends from hips to ankles and is typically unresponsive to weight loss. 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. The purpose of this review is to describe the initial evaluation and diagnosis of lipedema and discuss treatment options.
PubMed: 27570465
DOI: 10.2147/IJWH.S106227