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Lipoedema is a disease of the loose connective tissues leading to dysregulated and abnormal growth of mainly fatty tissue. This results in disfiguring and painful adipose tissue that appears disproportionate to the size and shape of the affected person’s body. It affects 11% of people worldwide and is very commonly misdiagnosed as lipoedema or obesity.

Lack of awareness of this condition by the medical profession and an insistence that the adiposity is obesity causes significant distress in patients, particularly because this adiposity is not amenable to usual weight reduction measures.

An urgent need for increased awareness and understanding among clinicians exists so that patients can be correctly diagnosed and evidence-based treatments options offered, and so that harmful narratives about this phenotype can be eliminated.

Learning Outcomes

1. Describe the pathophysiology of lipoedema and recognise its distinction from lymphoedema and obesity
2. Summarise the clinical signs and symptoms that indicate the presence of lipoedema
3. Outline the epidemiology of lipoedema and its impacts on affected patients
4. List the evidence-based non-pharmacological, pharmacological and surgical options for managing lipoedema
5. Describe the role of allied health and non-GP specialists in managing lipoedema.

Details

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