What is familial lipodystrophy?

Familial partial lipodystrophy is a rare condition characterized by an abnormal distribution of fatty (adipose) tissue. Adipose tissue is normally found in many parts of the body, including beneath the skin and surrounding the internal organs. It stores fat as a source of energy and also provides cushioning.

What is the difference between lipoatrophy and lipodystrophy?

In this article, the loss of fat is referred to as lipoatrophy and the abnormal distribution of fat is referred to as lipodystrophy. The term lipoatrophic diabetes refers to diabetes mellitus in association with lipoatrophy. Lipodystrophy encompasses lipoatrophy and other abnormalities of adipose tissue.

Is lipodystrophy genetic?

There are many genetic causes of lipodystrophy. Most genes encode proteins involved in adipocyte differentiation/survival, or lipid droplet formation; however, there remain unknown genetic causes. Congenital generalized lipodystrophy is caused by recessive mutations in AGPAT2, BSCL2, CAV1 and PTRF.

What is a characteristic of lipodystrophy?

The characteristic symptom of lipodystrophy is the loss of or abnormal distribution of fat. Loss of fat also is referred to as lipoatophy. In the congenital (inherited) form, the loss of fat causes an abnormal appearance that’s usually noticed within the first two years of life.

What causes lipoatrophy?

Often, doctors don’t know what causes acquired lipodystrophy, but some triggers are: An infection, such as measles, pneumonia, infectious mononucleosis, or hepatitis. A disease where your immune system attacks your body (called an autoimmune disease) Repeated injections in or pressure on the same place on your body.

What causes fat atrophy?

The causes of fat atrophy are varied. Fat atrophy can be associated with Parry-Romberg syndrome and linear scleroderma, or exist as an isolated condition with unknown causes. Loss of fat tissue may also be associated with reactions to medication, corticosteroid injections, systemic illness, or as a result of trauma.

What causes extreme skinniness?

Scientists have discovered a genetic cause of extreme thinness for the first time. The research shows that people with extra copies of certain genes are much more likely to be very skinny. In one in 2000 people, part of chromosome 16 is duplicated, making men 23 times and women five times more likely to be underweight.

What genetic condition makes a baby fat?

A person with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) has extreme difficulty controlling their body weight, as they spend a long time eating and have a powerful compulsion to eat as much food as possible. PWS is the most common genetic cause of morbid obesity in children.

What happens when you have lipodystrophy?

Lipodystrophy is a group of rare syndromes that cause a person to lose fat from some parts of the body, while gaining it in others, including on organs like the liver. A person can be born with lipodystrophy or develop it later in life.

What causes fat distribution?

The known, major environmental factors that affect body fat distribution include alcohol intake (1), cigarette smoking (2), and the timing of onset of childhood obesity (3). In addition, strong genetic factors seem to play a role in regional fat gain and loss (4,5).

What is lipoatrophy?

Medical Definition of lipoatrophy : loss of subcutaneous fat (such as that occurring from subcutaneous injections especially of insulin or corticosteroids or from long-term use of protease inhibitors in the treatment of HIV)

How do I know if I have lipoatrophy?

Your doctor can confirm diagnosis of lipoatrophy by assessing your physical symptoms and your body (face, leg, etc). There are no medications or diet for treating lipoatrophy. But surgery intervention is the best choice to correct the problem.

What causes lipoatrophy in diabetes?

Lipoatrophy. This may occur as a result of subcutaneous injections of insulin in the treatment of diabetes, from the use of human growth hormone or from subcutaneous injections of copaxone used for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. In the latter case, an injection may produce a small dent at the injection site.

How does lipodystrophy affect the body?

Partial lipodystrophy usually occurs around ten years of age after a viral illness. Fat is lost from the face and trunk, but the legs and hips are spared. Fat may accumulate in the legs and hips in women. Females are affected three times more often than males.