Below is a link to a newly published article in the medical journal, Clinical Radiology. The aim of this study was to “describe ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of ad…
Patients with joint hypermobility are very likely also suffering from a cluster of other chronic conditions linked to a cluster of genes known as RCCX on chromosome 6.
Dercum's disease is often misdiagnosed. Learn more about this rare condition that causes painful lumps, including treatment options.
Carl Hallam, from Nottingham, has Adiposis Dolorosa which causes fatty deposits to form on his chest, arms and back - he says it could eventually prove fatal.
Definition and clinical picture We propose the minimal definition of Dercum’s disease to be generalised overweight or obesity in combination with painful adipose tissue. The associated symptoms in Dercum’s disease include fatty deposits, easy bruisability, sleep disturbances, impaired memory, depression, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, diabetes, bloating, constipation, fatigue, weakness and joint aches. Classification We suggest that Dercum’s disease is classified into: I. Generalised diffuse form A form with diffusely widespread painful adipose tissue without clear lipomas, II. Generalised nodular form - a form with general pain in adipose tissue and intense pain in and around multiple lipomas, and III. Localised nodular form - a form with pain in and around multiple lipomas IV. Juxtaarticular form - a form with solitary deposits of excess fat for example at the medial aspect of the knee. Epidemiology Dercum’s disease most commonly appears between the ages of 35 and 50 years and is five to thirty times more common in women than in men. The prevalence of Dercum’s disease has not yet been exactly established. Aetiology Proposed, but unconfirmed aetiologies include: nervous system dysfunction, mechanical pressure on nerves, adipose tissue dysfunction and trauma. Diagnosis and diagnostic methods Diagnosis is based on clinical criteria and should be made by systematic physical examination and thorough exclusion of differential diagnoses. Advisably, the diagnosis should be made by a physician with a broad experience of patients with painful conditions and knowledge of family medicine, internal medicine or pain management. The diagnosis should only be made when the differential diagnoses have been excluded. Differential diagnosis Differential diagnoses include: fibromyalgia, lipoedema, panniculitis, endocrine disorders, primary psychiatric disorders, multiple symmetric lipomatosis, familial multiple lipomatosis, and adipose tissue tumours. Genetic counselling The majority of the cases of Dercum’s disease occur sporadically. A to G mutation at position A8344 of mitochondrial DNA cannot be detected in patients with Dercum’s disease. HLA (human leukocyte antigen) typing has not revealed any correlation between typical antigens and the presence of the condition. Management and treatment The following treatments have lead to some pain reduction in patients with Dercum’s disease: Liposuction, analgesics, lidocaine, methotrexate and infliximab, interferon α-2b, corticosteroids, calcium-channel modulators and rapid cycling hypobaric pressure. As none of the treatments have led to long lasting complete pain reduction and revolutionary results, we propose that Dercum’s disease should be treated in multidisciplinary teams specialised in chronic pain. Prognosis The pain in Dercum’s disease seems to be relatively constant over time.
Definition and clinical picture We propose the minimal definition of Dercum’s disease to be generalised overweight or obesity in combination with painful adipose tissue. The associated symptoms in Dercum’s disease include fatty deposits, easy bruisability, sleep disturbances, impaired memory, depression, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, diabetes, bloating, constipation, fatigue, weakness and joint aches. Classification We suggest that Dercum’s disease is classified into: I. Generalised diffuse form A form with diffusely widespread painful adipose tissue without clear lipomas, II. Generalised nodular form - a form with general pain in adipose tissue and intense pain in and around multiple lipomas, and III. Localised nodular form - a form with pain in and around multiple lipomas IV. Juxtaarticular form - a form with solitary deposits of excess fat for example at the medial aspect of the knee. Epidemiology Dercum’s disease most commonly appears between the ages of 35 and 50 years and is five to thirty times more common in women than in men. The prevalence of Dercum’s disease has not yet been exactly established. Aetiology Proposed, but unconfirmed aetiologies include: nervous system dysfunction, mechanical pressure on nerves, adipose tissue dysfunction and trauma. Diagnosis and diagnostic methods Diagnosis is based on clinical criteria and should be made by systematic physical examination and thorough exclusion of differential diagnoses. Advisably, the diagnosis should be made by a physician with a broad experience of patients with painful conditions and knowledge of family medicine, internal medicine or pain management. The diagnosis should only be made when the differential diagnoses have been excluded. Differential diagnosis Differential diagnoses include: fibromyalgia, lipoedema, panniculitis, endocrine disorders, primary psychiatric disorders, multiple symmetric lipomatosis, familial multiple lipomatosis, and adipose tissue tumours. Genetic counselling The majority of the cases of Dercum’s disease occur sporadically. A to G mutation at position A8344 of mitochondrial DNA cannot be detected in patients with Dercum’s disease. HLA (human leukocyte antigen) typing has not revealed any correlation between typical antigens and the presence of the condition. Management and treatment The following treatments have lead to some pain reduction in patients with Dercum’s disease: Liposuction, analgesics, lidocaine, methotrexate and infliximab, interferon α-2b, corticosteroids, calcium-channel modulators and rapid cycling hypobaric pressure. As none of the treatments have led to long lasting complete pain reduction and revolutionary results, we propose that Dercum’s disease should be treated in multidisciplinary teams specialised in chronic pain. Prognosis The pain in Dercum’s disease seems to be relatively constant over time.
” I don’t think I’m suicidal because I do love life and I will never give up, but one day out of nowhere I wrote my obituary. It helped me visualize an end point to this @^%$#@&a…
Dercum’s disease is a rare connective tissue disorder. A person with the condition develops growths of fatty tissue, or lipomas, that can cause pain when they...
Dercum’s disease is recently either referred to as Adiposis dolorosa, Anders’ syndrome, lipomatosis dolorosa, or Dercum-Vitaut syndrome. Dercum’s disease is a rare connective tissue condition that is characterized by the growth of lipomas. Lipomas are non-malignant tumors comprising of fat cells; it is a tumor found abnormally growing in fatty…
The RAD (Rare Adipose Disease) Diet is a pretty restrictive diet that promotes reduction of inflammation. Guidelines of the diet can be found at the lipomadoc.org site. Here is a brief summary: The essentials of the RAD diet are as follows: Lower consumption of pasteurized dairy products, animal protein and fats, simple sugars and carbohydrates (low glycemic), salt and wheat or processed flour products, while enriching the diet with organic fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy proteins. Avoid foods that contain lots of chemicals such as artificial preservatives, flavors, fake sweeteners like aspartame, colors and stabilizers which includes most prepared, packaged and fast foods. A lot of packaged foods have advanced glycation end products or AGEs that can cause damage in the body and increase the risk for diabetes and alzheimers. Cooked foods also have AGEs so raw foodists also support lowering your AGE consumption. 1. Lower fat consumption as fats are absorbed directly into the lymphatics. 2. Eat low glycemic index foods to lower insulin levels - insulin makes fat grow. 3. Eat lots of fresh vegetables that have enzymes that are absorbed into the lymphatics and in essence "roto-rooter" out the stagnant protein. You can add enzymes with advice from your healthcare provider. 4. Lower your salt intake if you are able so you retain less water/fluid. 5. Each time we eat we generate inflammation as the lymph system surrounds the gut. Rest the gut by takig a day off and eating liquid type foods such as soups, stews (without meat or at least with pulled meats), smoothies, protein shakes, applesauce, juiced vegetables and fruits.page clicking the following link: If you are first starting this diet, you may want to give yourself a few days or so of looking it over and getting familiar with it. Personally, I do not follow the diet all the time but I found cutting out at least 90% of the foods we should not eat has helped me. You really need to look over everything and make sure your doctor approves of your dietary changes and that it is something you are comfortable with. There may be other conditions you have that would make this and other diets not right for you. For me, I have a very delicate (maybe the only delicate thing about me) digestive system. I have to ease into changes and I find if I don't eat something for a long time and, either by choice or not realizing, if I eat something with what I was avoiding in it, I have paid the price dearly. I also do much better with cooked veggies and fruits. I make homemade soup and grilled veggies throughout the year. I also just got my first juicer and have enjoyed a nice healthy juice for a snack during the day. Also since most all people suffering from Dercum's have IBS, you should try taking probiotics everyday and remember to get enough good fat into your diet. Other diets to look into that may actually help you understand the RAD diet better are the Alkaline/Acid diet and Traditional Chinese Medicine's cold/damp condition (for RADs, a that is how an acupuncturist would diagnose us). Also, eating as much organic fruits and vegetables is definitely recommended. It may be a little more expensive, but the toxins in the supermarket produce just wreaks havoc on our bodies. Please consider buying locally from farm stands. Not only are you supporting your neighbors, this is the best way to ensure what you are getting is fresh. I have a lot of recipes that I have found over the last couple of years and some I have made myself. I will post them here as often as possible. I will also make a remark if the diet follows the RAD diet guidelines. I have some recipes that have some of the limited ingredients as part of them and I wish to make it as clear as possible. If you have any questions or recipes of your own, please send a message to [email protected].
A glimpse into the daily ins and outs of someone trying to live life as full as possible while silently, although at times quite loudly, suffering from a rare chronic illness.
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In contrast to obesity, which is very frequent, lipomatosis and lipodystrophy syndromes are rare diseases of adipose tissue. Lipodystrophy syndromes are characterized by metabolic abnormalities associated with partial or generalized lipoatrophy. Lipomatosis is defined by the presence of several body lipomas without lipoatrophy. Dercum’s disease (DD) and Roch-Leri mesosomatous lipomatosis (RLML) are rare and poorly characterized forms of lipomatosis. They have raised little clinical interest despite the non-negligible consequences of DD on quality of life. The main clinical presentation of these diseases includes multiple lipomas, which are painful in DD (in contrast to RLML). The two diseases are frequently associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome, with hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia. The long-term course of the diseases remains poorly described. DD affects mainly women, whereas RLML mostly affects men. In both diseases lipomas are found on the back and thighs, as well as on the abdomen in DD and the forearms in RLML. The painful lipomas tend to recur after surgery in DD (in contrast to RLML). Most cases are sporadic. No specific treatment has been identified, as the pathophysiology remains unknown. Nevertheless, low-grade fat inflammation and specific abnormalities such as hyperbasophilia deserve further investigation. The aim of this review is to analyze the available literature on the topic.
