In a female patient who is obese with pain around joints and weakness, common diseases such as osteoarthritis and hypothyroidism should be ruled out. Am J Med Sci 1892; 104: 52135. How are you managing with daily life and the symptoms you deal with? Surgical removal of lipomas has been shown to reduce pain in some patients, especially if the lipomas cause numbness or tingling. The condition can also be associated with early congestive heart failure, myxedema (a condition associated with severe hypothyroidism), joint pain, paroxysmal flushing episodes, tremors, cyanosis (bluish discoloration of the skin), hypertension (high blood pressure), headaches, and epistaxis (nosebleeds). Dercum disease - also known as Adiposis Dolorosa or Anders' syndrome and is a rare condition that is characterized by multiple, painful fatty lipomas (benign, fatty tumors) that occur chiefly in women of middle age. A short list of syndromes with lipomas include : Proteus syndrome, which involves partial gigantism of hands and feet and hemihypertrophy. Take steps toward getting a diagnosis by working with your doctor, finding the right specialists, and coordinating medical care. Excessive exercise, high-impact activities, and any potential irritants should be avoided whenever possible. Researchers have not yet found out why Dercums disease causes pain. Females are 530 times more likely to develop Dercums disease than males. There is a tendency to bruise. Imaging tests can help too. In multiple symmetric lipomatosis there is polyneuropathy, a history of excessive alcohol consumption and diabetes, and the head and neck and upper arms are involved. It is a rare disease more common in obese postmenopausal women. Liposuction may temporarily relieve symptoms although recurrences often develop.[11]. The Dercum Society Helping make sense of Dercum's Disease: https://dercums.org/ Dr. Karen Herbst confirmed my diagnosis and then some. 151-9. - Full-Length Features She continues her passion for helping people with connective tissue disorders as part of Total Lipedema Care. Symptoms include. The most difficult aspect of treating Dercums Disease is managing chronic pain. The authors speculated on whether the mechanism could be the antiviral effect of the drug, the production of endogenous substances, such as endorphins, or interference with the production of interleukin-1 and tumour necrosis factor. Imaging by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound may demonstrate lipomas.There aew no specific diagnostic lab tests. Enter your email address to receive updates about the latest advances in genomics research. [4], There are no currently known causes of this disease. None of the theories that are currently proposed have been found viable. Meaning its root origin comes from a genetic mutation which affects the formation of fat cells. Enroll in databases to allow researchers from participating institutions to find you. The mechanism of action is unclear. 2015;94(24):e950. Subcutaneous adipose tissue therapy reduces fat by dual X-ray absorptiometry scan and improves tissue structure by ultrasound in women with lipoedema and Dercum disease. However, although it is 20 times more common in women, 16 . Involvement of other medical care professionals may be called for, such as psychiatrists in bouts of depression, dieticans for weight reduction, and surgeons when a localized lipoma is botherosme Patient support groups can provide invalubale information to the patients and their families. By Adrienne Dellwo Some cases reported in the literature have suggested possible causes for Dercum disease, such as the use of corticosteroids, a disturbance of endocrine function, or a genetic cause since it seems to run in some families. DermNet provides Google Translate, a free machine translation service. Lidocaine patches have been found to be helpful in managing breakthrough pain. Note, GARD cannot enroll individuals in clinical studies. Youve viewed {{metering-count}} of {{metering-total}} articles this month. To treat painful lipomas, you can start by taking OTC pain medications. Technically speaking, Dercum's Disease is classified as a genetic lipid disease. They reported that the pain diminished in 89% of patients (n=89) when treated with NSAIDs and in 97% of patients when treated with narcotic analgesics (n=37). Cortisone shots have also been shown to be effective in temporarily reducing the chronic pain. However, some lipomas grow deeper inside the body, with connective tissue linking them to bones, muscles, tendons, or ligaments. Lipomas are rarely life-threatening and may not cause symptoms. Most people with Dercum disease do not have a family history of Dercum disease. I thought I share a few links in case you haven't already seen them and hopefully provide more information for members with this rare disorder. Easy. ), (A recent study providing evidence that adiposis dolorosa is an inflammatory disease. Lipomas themselves are usually not painful, but they can press on nerves or muscles and cause pain. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. In order to properly diagnose the patient, the doctor must first exclude all other possible differential diagnoses. Painful lipomas Journal of Surgical Research. Conventional pain medicines do not seem to reduce the discomfort associated with Dercum disease. For that reason, it's not usually recommended to treat lipomas in people living with fibromyalgia. 717(A recent case report on the succesful use of a combination of anti TNF and Methotrexate for adiposis dolorosa. Detailed information about aggravating and relieving factors should be provided. 1998-2023 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. University hospitals frequently attract doctors who tend to be interested in learning new things & more often see unusual cases. Your provider might want to do other tests to look for or rule out other conditions that can cause lumps before diagnosing the lump as a lipoma. 2005. pp. Adrienne Dellwo is an experienced journalist who was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and has written extensively on the topic. If you live anywhere near a university with a hospital, call them. "Hi @vowelmistress, lipomas are a symptom of Dercums disease, but not the cause. If the pain is not very bad, you may get relief by takingover-the-counter (OTC) pain medications like Motrin (ibuprofen) or Aleve (naproxen). Dercum's Disease - KAREN L. HERBST, PHD, MD In most cases, there doesn't seem to be an underlying cause. Dercum's disease (adiposis dolorosa): a review of clinical presentation and management, Subcutaneous adipose tissue therapy reduces fat by dual X-ray absorptiometry scan and improves tissue structure by ultrasound in women with lipoedema and Dercum disease. The disease causes significant impairment in quality of life and incapacity to work as a consequence of the pain and suffering. However, there is no firm evidence to support this. However, the disease has been reported as showing an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance in some families (ie the children of someone with Dercum disease have a 1-in-2 likelihood of also developing it.). It is a rare disease characterised by a combination of features: Multiple encapsulated fat overgrowths ( lipomas) on the trunk and limbs Painful subcutaneous plaques Ecchymoses (bruises) without noticed trauma.