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  • Lipoedema is a chronic disease with various manifestation of symptoms, related to excessive deposition of subcutaneous adipose tissue in the legs, hips and buttocks. The scale of the problem is enormous and may affect up to one in five women. Lipoedema is often underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed with lymphedema, obesity or lipohypertrophy. In recent years, lipoedema has been diagnosed in an increasing number of younger women, and its first symptoms may manifest already in puberty. Even though it is often perceived as only an aesthetic problem, it has a huge impact on the quality of life, mental health, self-esteem or self-confidence. Moreover, lipoedema causes stigmatization, unfortunately also in healthcare professionals. Nevertheless, recently, diagnostic criteria (also ultrasound) have been created, and lipoedema has been classified in ICD-10 (E88.2). There are also more and more treatment options, with emphasis on the role of psychological care. Awareness and knowledge of lipoedema have also increased despite its underestimation but still is not enough. The multidimensional nature of lipoedema and its impact on many aspects of life highlights the essential role of comprehensive support to patients. Nowadays, in times of caring for mental health, it is crucial to increase public awareness and spread knowledge about lipoedema.

  • Lipedema is a type of subcutaneous adipose tissue disorder that affects mainly women. Its main symptom is bilateral fat accumulation on the extremities with associated pain in the affected areas. Despite growing interest in lipedema among patients and medical health professionals, lipedema is still often misdiagnosed, misunderstood, and mistreated. To promote better understanding of lipedema, we aimed to investigate factors related to the quality of life and describe selected sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of women with lipedema in Poland.

Last update from database: 5/19/25, 7:51 AM (UTC)

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