ArticleFrontiers in immunology2023
Lipedema stage affects adipocyte hypertrophy, subcutaneous adipose tissue inflammation and interstitial fibrosis.
Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 45 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Clinical Effects of TECAR Therapy in the Conservative Management of Lipedema: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Systemic Inflammatory Indices in Lipedema Compared With BMI-Matched Obesity: The Distinct Clinical Relevance of the C-Reactive Protein-to-Albumin Ratio
Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.
- Lipedema: Progress, Challenges, and the Road Ahead.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025Pooled it
- Lipedema and obesity: biological interactions, diagnostic challenges, and principles of interdisciplinary management - a narrative review.Adipocyte · 2026Review
- The Adipovascular Unit in Lipedema: A Framework for Regional Adipose Tissue Dysregulation.Cells · 2026Review
- Molecular Distinctions, Diagnosis, and Mechanism-Based Therapies in Lipedema and Obesity.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Review
- Current Evidence-Based Clinical Nutritional Approaches in Lipedema: A Scoping Review.Nutrition reviews · 2026Article
- Central Sensitization, Pain, and Psychosocial Factors in Individuals with Lipedema: A Cross-Sectional Study.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2026Article
- Reduced Serum Endostatin in Premenopausal Women with Lipedema Suggests Altered Vascular Homeostasis.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Optimizing Liposuction in Lipedema Patients: A Novel Approach with Perioperative and Intraoperative Ultrasound.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2026Article
- Combined Ultrasound and Power-Assisted Liposuction Improves Outcomes in Lipedema: A Retrospective Study.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2026Article
- Exploring quality of life and physical-physiological characteristics in obese patients with and without lipedema: insights from the LipObes study.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Caffeic acid phenethyl ester ameliorates high-fat diet-induced muscle textural deterioration in grass carp (Animal nutrition (Zhongguo xu mu shou yi xue hui) · 2026Article
- Assessment of the elasticity of lipedematous tissue and the examination of the relationship between pain and fibrosis in lipedema.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2026Observational
- Article
- Lipedema and obesity: A narrative review and treatment protocol.JPRAS open · 2026Review
- Moderate weight loss decreases lipedema-affected body fat mass in a woman who is lean with lipedema.JCEM case reports · 2026Article
- Dietary Inflammatory Index and Mediterranean Diet Score are associated with systemic inflammation in women with lipedema.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2026Article
- Article
- Unraveling lipedema: comprehensive insights and the path to future discoveries.npj metabolic health and disease · 2026Review
- Lipedema World Alliance Delphi Consensus-Based Position Paper on the Definition and Management of Lipedema: Results from the 2023 Lipedema World Congress in Potsdam.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Lipedema in Women and Its Interrelationship with Endometriosis and Other Gynecologic Diseases: A Scoping Review.Biomedicines · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Lipedema is a painful subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) disease characterized by adipocyte hypertrophy, immune cell recruitment, and fibrosis in the affected areas. These features are thought to contribute to the development and progression of the condition. However, the relationship between lipedema disease stage and the associated adipose tissue changes has not been determined so far. Methods: SAT biopsies of 32 lipedema patients, ranging across the pathological stages I to III, and 14 BMI- and age-matched controls were harvested from lipedema-affected thighs and non-symptomatic lower abdominal regions. Histological and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and expression analysis of markers for adipogenesis, immunomodulation, and fibrosis were performed on the tissue biopsies. Results: Lipedema patients showed increased adipocyte areas and a stage-dependent shift towards larger cell sizes in the thighs. Lipedema SAT was linked with increased interstitial collagen accumulation in the thighs, but not the lower abdominal region when compared to controls. There was a trend toward progressive SAT fibrosis of the affected thighs with increasing lipedema stage. Elevated gene expression levels of macrophage markers were found for thigh SAT biopsies, but not in the abdominal region. IHC staining of lipedema thigh biopsies confirmed a transiently elevated macrophage polarization towards an M2-like (anti-inflammatory) phenotype. Conclusions: In summary, lipedema SAT is associated with stage-dependent adipocyte hypertrophy, stage-progressive interstitial fibrosis and elevated proportion of M2-like macrophages. The character of the inflammatory response differs from primary obesity and may possess an essential role in the development of lipedema.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.