Your search
Results 5 resources
-
At present, there is no proven cure for lipoedema. Nevertheless, much can be done to help improve symptoms and prevent progression. Many of these improvements can be achieved by patients using self-management techniques. This article describes the range of self-management techniques that community nurses can discuss with patients, including healthy eating, low-impact exercise, compression garments, self-lymphatic drainage, and counselling.
-
Frequently misdiagnosed as obesity, lipoedema is chronic condition involving an abnormal build-up of fat cells in the legs, thighs and buttocks that cannot be shifted by exercise or dieting. Estimated to affect up to 11% of the female population, the condition is widely unknown by health professionals. This means women typically wait for many years before diagnosis. This allows the condition to progress unchecked, resulting in unnecessary deterioration and the development of associated comorbidities, as well as significant pain and mental anguish. A free, 30-minute Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) e-learning course created in partnership with Lipoedema UK aims to rectify this situation by educating nurses, GPs and other health professionals on how to diagnose and manage lipoedema in primary care. This article aims to describe the condition of lipoedema, how to recognise/diagnose it, current treatment options and the findings of a 240-patient survey carried out by Lipoedema UK in 2013 that included documenting the difficulties for patients in obtaining a diagnosis as well as the mental and physical effects of the condition.
-
Liposuction surgically removes subcutaneous abdominal tissue (SAT) and has almost no effect on visceral abdominal tissue (VAT) depot. However, some authors suggest that deep layers of SAT are functionally similar to VAT and the amount of deep subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue is strongly related to insulin resistance in a manner nearly identical to that of visceral adiposity. Moreover, SAT determines leptin secretion which indirectly reflects the level of insulin sensitivity in the body. Thus, the immediate removal of SAT could potentially affect metabolic profile of a patient. The current data are conflicting and cannot bring a clear evidence suggesting that liposuction itself results in important metabolic outcomes and, on the other hand, cannot exclude such a possibility. This review summarizes the liposuction-induced metabolic changes with regard to release of major adipokines and insulin sensitivity.
-
Background: Lipedema is a poorly known disorder of painful subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) likely affecting millions of women worldwide. Stage 1 lipedema has smooth skin with increased underlying fat, Stage 2 has indentations and nodules, and Stage 3 has large extrusions of skin and SAT. Women with lipedema have more SAT below the waist. As this gynoid fat is known to be cardioprotective, we aimed to determine if health declined with increasing stage and extent of lipedema SAT. Methods and Findings: Chart review from June 2012 to February 2013 at a tertiary academic center. Fifty women and one man were included in consecutive order. Fat was assessed in 29 areas for lipomas, size of the depot, and presence of lipedema fat. Pain was assessed by a numerical pain scale. Average age of patients was 50 ± 13 y; average body mass index was 38 ± 12 kg/m2. Median age of development of lipedema was 20 y. Pain occurred daily in 89.7%. None of the patients with Stage 1 lipedema had diabetes, hypertension or dyslipidemia. The amount of lipedema fat differed significantly between Stages of lipedema (p=0.003), with Stage 3 having significantly more. There was no difference in fat depot size or number of lipomas amongst Stages. Only one of 51 patients had type 2 diabetes. There was an increase in shortness of breath, palpitations, urination, and numbness in Stage 3. Conclusions: Lipedema fat can develop in any SAT location and increases in association with increasing signs and symptoms of systemic illness.
Explore
Topic
- Lipedema (4)
- Original studies and data (1)
- Review (3)
Resource type
- Journal Article (5)