Lipodystrophy Health Dictionary

A congenital maldistribution of FAT tissue. Subcutaneous fat is totally absent from a portion of the body and hypertrophied in the remainder. Another form of lipodystrophy occurs at the site of INSULIN injections, but is much less frequently seen nowadays; the new, synthetic preparations of insulin are pure and unlikely to cause this reaction, which was not uncommon with the older preparations. Occasionally the converse occurs at the site of insulin injections, where the lipogenic action of insulin stimulates the fat cells to hypertrophy. This can also be dis?guring and usually results from using the same site for injections too frequently.

n. any condition resulting in the loss and/or redistribution of fat tissue in part or all of the body. It may be congenital or acquired (for example, as an adverse effect of antiretroviral drug treatment). Congenital lipodystrophies include Kobberling–Dunnigan syndrome, an autosomal *dominant condition more common in women, who lose fat tissue from their limbs and lower bodies and often also suffer with *polycystic ovary syndrome; and Seip–Beradinelli syndrome, which is autosomal *recessive and involves more generalized fat-tissue loss. Acquired forms usually follow an acute illness in childhood and may involve all or part of the body.