ArticlePloS one2025
Clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and correlation with advanced lipedema stages: A retrospective study from a Swiss referral centre.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Efficacy and Safety of Surgical Intervention in Refractory Lipedema: A Systematic Review and Single-Arm Meta-Analysis.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2026Pooled it
- The Utility of Ultrasound in the Management of Lipedema: Preoperative, Intraoperative, and Postoperative Applications.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2026Review
- Sexual function and its associations with anxiety, depression, functionality, and quality of life in women with lipedema.Sexual medicine · 2026Article
- Comorbidities in lipedema: toward a systemic perspective - a narrative review.Clinical and experimental medicine · 2026Review
- Lipedema and obesity: A narrative review and treatment protocol.JPRAS open · 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
- New Frontiers in modeling the lipedema microenvironmentFrontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Review
- Vascular changes and their implications in lipedema.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Review
- Clinical Signs at Diagnosis and Comorbidities in a Large Cohort of Patients with Lipedema in Spain.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- New Characterization of Lipedema Stages: Focus on Pain, Water, Fat and Skeletal Muscle.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- An Advanced Pneumatic Compression Therapy System Improves Leg Volume and Fluid, Adipose Tissue Thickness, Symptoms, and Quality of Life and Reduces Risk of Lymphedema in Women with Lipedema.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionLipedema is a chronic condition involving abnormal fat deposition in the lower limbs, often underdiagnosed, and poorly understood. We examined the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of a large patient cohort in Switzerland and their associations with disease severity.
methodsWe included women aged 18 and over with lipedema at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Switzerland. Demographic and clinical data, including disease type, stage, symptoms, and comorbidities, were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data, and logistic regression was employed for analysis.
resultsA total of 381 females (mean age 41.9 years) were included, mostly classified as type III (48.3%) and IV (30.2%) lipedema. In our population, 26.6% of patients were classified as stage 1, 44.5% as stage 2, and 28.9% as stages 3-4. Family history was reported in 49.9%, with symptoms often starting during adolescence (62.2%). Pain affected 87.9%, and quality of life (QoL) was significantly reduced, with 71.5% reporting low physical and 67.4% low mental well-being. Comorbidities were present in 92.1%, increasing with advanced disease stage, with chronic venous disease (86.2%) and obesity (51.7%) being the most common. Univariate analysis showed advanced lipedema was associated with age (OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.05-1.09), BMI (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.19-1.29), and comorbidities (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.39-1.81). Multivariate analysis confirmed age (OR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.04-1.08) and BMI (OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.17-1.28) as correlates with disease stage.
conclusionsOur study highlights frequent comorbidities in patients with lipedema, including chronic venous disease, obesity, and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. The distribution of comorbidities supports the need for tailored management. The correlation between disease stages, age, and BMI suggests potential progression, warranting confirmation through prospective studies.
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