Lipedema causes excessive fat accumulation in the legs

The accumulation of fat in the leg region is not necessarily a reason for health concern. However, it could be a sign of lipedema, a disease described about eight decades ago, but recognized and classified as such only two years ago – and whose awareness campaign will be officially included in the Paraná calendar from 2025.

“Lipedema is a disease that was described more than 80 years ago, however, it was believed that it was a consequence of vascular problems”, says nutritionist Debora Froehner, who led the movement to include Purple June, the campaign that seeks to raise awareness of the problem, in the state calendar.

According to her, research carried out over the years has allowed us to understand that, more than being the result of a vascular problem, lipedema is a condition in itself that causes inflammation of the fatty connective tissue. “Some patients may have vascular involvement, but this is not always the case,” she points out.

Debora explains that lipedema causes this accumulation of fat, mainly in the lower limbs, in a disproportionate way, even in thin people. With one peculiarity: the fat is concentrated in the legs, but does not affect the feet. “These are disproportionate fats, which evolve with fibrosis, for example, tissue dystrophy and even motor alterations”, she says.

Symptoms include swelling in the region, nodules indicating fibrosis in the adipose tissue, changes in the skin, pain and bruising (or the tendency for bruising to form). As it progresses – the disease has four stages of severity – it can cause difficulty moving, joint damage and muscle atrophy.

In addition, there is a psychological impact, as the condition affects the self-image and self-esteem of patients, who are mostly women.

Although in some cases it is only possible to identify the disease when the first signs appear, lipedema has genetic components, according to Debora, and the chances of it appearing in the same family are high. Therefore, those with a family history of the disease should seek to prevent it with healthy habits: balanced diet, hydration, physical exercise and stress control.

Recommendations are also part of the treatment, regardless of the severity of the disease. However, the more advanced the disease, the greater the chances that the patient will need medication to control symptoms and surgeries such as liposuction and varicose vein surgery.

“Lipedema does not have a short cure, because we have a base of fat cells that remain (even when surgery is indicated),” says the doctor. “Intestinal health is essential to prevent the progression of the disease. (The patient) has to take care of their diet and lifestyle forever.”

Because it is a disease that has only recently been classified, lipedema is not yet as well known or monitored as it should be, and its treatments are not yet available through the SUS. For this reason, Debora led the movement in Paraná to include the Purple June awareness campaign on the disease in the state calendar.

The bill was presented by representatives Cantora Mara Lima (Rep), Maria Victoria (PP) and Márcia Huçulak (PSD), and by representative Tercílio Turini (MDB), approved by the plenary in June and sanctioned in early July. “This awareness is important not only for the patient, but also for the doctor,” says Debora.

It is the dissemination of information and knowledge that will allow patients to have access to appropriate diagnosis and treatment. It will also enable monitoring of the disease, with surveys on prevalence, patient profiles and others.

“The first project was to include the month in the calendar, but there is another one to try to offer this treatment in the SUS (Brazilian Unified Health System),” says the doctor. In this sense, on July 8, the parliamentarians who proposed the Purple June Bill sent a request to the National Commission for the Incorporation of Technologies (CONITEC) and the Ministry of Health for the creation of a clinical protocol to include lipedema treatment in the procedures performed by health plans and the SUS (Unified Health System).

Although they have common points, cellulite, obesity and lipedema are not the same thing.

THE obesity is characterized by the accumulation of fat in the body in a homogeneous manner. The cellulitein turn, is a fat deposit under the skin in any part of the body and without symptoms such as pain, bruising, etc.; it is more superficial. lipedemain addition to causing the accumulation of fat in specific areas of the body, it is accompanied by other symptoms and, when left untreated, progresses.