Lipodystrophy is a medical condition characterized by abnormal or degenerative conditions of the body's
adipose tissue. ("Lipo" is
Greek for "fat" and "dystrophy" is Greek for "abnormal or degenerative condition".) A more specific term,
lipoatrophy is used when describing the loss of fat from one area (usually the face). This condition is also characterized by a lack of circulating
leptin which may lead to
osteosclerosis.
Types
Lipodystrophy may be divided into the following types:
:*Congential lipodystrophies
::*
Congenital generalized lipodystrophy (Beradinelli-Seip syndrome)
::*
Familial partial lipodystrophy
:*Acquired lipodystrophy
::*
Acquired partial lipodystrophy (Barraquer-Simons syndrome)
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Acquired generalized lipodystrophy
::*
Centrifugal abdominal lipodystrophy (Lipodystrophia centrifugalis abdominalis infantilis)
::*
Lipoatrophia annularis (Ferreira-Marques lipoatrophia)
::*
Localized lipodystrophy
::*
HIV-associated lipodystrophy
Insulin injections
A lipodystrophy can be a lump or small dent in the
skin that forms when a person keeps performing
injections in the same spot. These types of lipodystrophies are harmless. People who want to avoid them can do so by changing (rotating) the places where they perform injections. For people with
diabetes, using purified
insulins may also help.
One of the side-effects of lipodystrophy is the rejection of the injected medication, the slowing down of the absorption of the medication, or trauma that can cause bleeding that, in turn, will reject the medication. In any of these scenarios, the dosage of the medication, such as insulin for diabetics, becomes impossible to gauge correctly and the treatment of the disease for which the medication is administered is impaired thereby allowing the medical condition to worsen.
In some cases, rotation of the injection sites may not be enough to prevent lipodystrophy.
Antiretroviral drugs
Lipodystrophies can be a possible side effect of
antiretroviral drugs. Other lipodystrophies manifest as
lipid redistribution; with excess, or lack of, fat in various regions of the body. These include, but are not limited to, having sunken cheeks and/or "humps" on the back or back of the neck (also referred to as buffalo hump).
Hereditary forms
Lipodystrophy can be caused by metabolic abnormalities due to genetic issues. These are often characterized by
insulin resistance and are associated with
Metabolic Syndrome.
See also
Keppen–Lubinsky Syndrome
References
External links
TheBody: The Lipoatrophy Resource Center
Category:Conditions of the subcutaneous fat
