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Order of resolution and recurrence of inflammatory symptoms in lipedema: a longitudinal study of 1,300 patients
Resource type
Authors/contributors
- Amato, Alexandre Campos Moraes (Author)
- Amato, Juliana Lelis Spirandeli (Author)
- Benitti, Daniel Augusto (Author)
Title
Order of resolution and recurrence of inflammatory symptoms in lipedema: a longitudinal study of 1,300 patients
Abstract
Background The Questionário de avaliação sintomática do lipedema (QuASiL – Lipedema Symptom Assessment Questionnaire) assesses 13 distinct inflammatory symptoms of lipedema, but whether these symptoms resolve and recur simultaneously or follow a consistent order remains unknown. Objectives To characterize the persistence hierarchy of the 13 QuASiL inflammatory symptoms in a retrospective lipedema cohort under heterogeneous conservative treatment, using 6 complementary rank-order analyses and testing the null hypothesis that symptoms resolve with equal magnitude. Methods This retrospective longitudinal study included 1,300 patients who were clinically diagnosed with lipedema by a vascular surgeon and who completed the QuASiL on at least 2 occasions (minimum 14-day interval; median follow-up 181 days, IQR 92–380, maximum 1,787 days). A consensus ranking was computed across all analyses. A sensitivity analysis was conducted using the conventional T0 = first visit, T1 = last visit convention, and a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis estimated the time (in absolute days) to ≥ 50% reduction from baseline per symptom. Results The symptoms did not resolve simultaneously (Friedman χ2 (12) = 168.08, p < 0.001). All 13 symptoms improved during follow-up, showing a consistent order across the 6 analyses. A slower-resolving core was identified: bruising (consensus rank 1.7), swelling (2.0), touch sensitivity (4.3), leg heaviness (4.7), and fatigue (4.7). A rapidly-responding group comprised skin irritation (66.4% proportional reduction), itching (62.0%), and walking difficulty (62.6%). Even the most resistant symptom (bruising) achieved a mean 39.1% proportional reduction, with half of patients reaching ≥ 50% improvement. During worsening, swelling and pressure/tension re-emerged first. The sensitivity analysis (T0 = first, T1 = last) produced an essentially identical ranking (Spearman ρ = 0.945, p < 10−5). The Kaplan-Meier analysis estimated a median of 546 days for bruising vs 207 days for itching to reach ≥ 50% reduction from baseline (log-rank χ2 = 44.6, p < 10−10); the fastest-resolving symptom was heat/burning at 203 days. Conclusions In this retrospective cohort of patients under heterogeneous conservative treatment, the 13 QuASiL inflammatory symptoms improved following a consistent order across 6 independent analyses, with bruising and swelling as the most persistent symptoms. Keywords: lipedema; inflammatory symptoms; resolution order; bruising; patient-reported outcomes; longitudinal study
Publication
Jornal Vascular Brasileiro
Publisher
Sociedade Brasileira de Angiologia e de Cirurgia Vascular (SBACV)
Date
2026
Volume
25
Pages
e20260056
Journal Abbr
J. vasc. bras.
Accessed
9/15/26, 5:19 PM
PMID
42890093
PMCID
PMC13671008
ISSN
1677-5449, 1677-7301
Short Title
Order of resolution and recurrence of inflammatory symptoms in lipedema
Language
en
Library Catalog
SciELO
Citation
Amato, A. C. M., Amato, J. L. S., & Benitti, D. A. (2026). Order of resolution and recurrence of inflammatory symptoms in lipedema: a longitudinal study of 1,300 patients. Jornal Vascular Brasileiro, 25, e20260056. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1590/1677-5449.202600562
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