Know it’s lipomatosis
Lipomatosis is a disease of unknown cause that causes the accumulation of several fatty nodules throughout the body, also called multiple symmetrical lipomatosis, Madelung disease or Launois-Bensaude adenolipomatosis.
- These lumps are benign tumors formed by fat cells that accumulate mainly in the abdomen and back.
- They rarely become malignant cancerous nodules and are more common in adult men.
- Age 30 to 60.
- Here’s how to identify a lipoma.
Lipomatosis treatment is mainly done by surgery to remove fatty nodules, as well as medications and injections, as shown below:
It is mainly indicated in cases of large aesthetic deformities or when lipomas make it difficult to breathe and feed, as it is very rare to convert lipomas into malignant tumors.
Thus, lipomas are eliminated by conventional surgery or liposuction, depending on the tumor site. In general, the recurrence rate of tumors is low and does not usually occur until after 2 years of surgery.
In simpler cases, medications that stimulate fat burning of lipomas, such as steroid hormones, salbutamol and enxaparin, may also be used, but tumors reappear when the drug is discontinued. Learn more about enxaparin.
Injections are mainly used in small lipomas and contain hormones and substances that help break down fat cells, thus reducing the size of tumors.
They are usually given every 3 to 8 weeks for several months and usually have side effects mainly from pain and bruising at the application site.
It is also important to remember that you should stop drinking alcoholic beverages and smoke altogether to prevent the disease from progressing and control your weight to reduce the risk of obesity-related complications, such as heart disease and diabetes.
The main complication of lipomatosis is the cosmetic deformation of the body caused by lipomas. In addition, fatty lumps can cause problems such as:
In addition, in some cases, there may also be respiratory organ cancer, especially when there is a history of excessive alcohol or cigarette use.
Lipomatosis is classified according to the location of the body affected by lipomas, such as:
The diffuse form of the disease is more common in women and generally does not affect the deeper organs and tissues of the body.
The main symptoms of lipomatosis are bodily deformities from fatty tumor buildup, and the presence of tingling and cramps in the legs and arms, the appearance of foot ulcers and the inability to move or walk are also common.
Palpitations, excessive sweating, sexual impotence and difficulty swallowing or breathing may also occur.
Although it does not have a clear cause, this disease is primarily related to excessive and prolonged alcohol consumption, and may also be related to diseases such as high cholesterol, diabetes, macrocytic anemia, excess uric acid in the blood, renal tubular acidosis and polyneuropathy.
In addition, it may also be related to genetic inheritance, where the disease is used in a family history, called multifamily lipomatosis.