Exploration of Patient Characteristics and Quality of Life in Patients with Lipoedema Using a Survey

Jeroen R. M. Romeijn*, Michette J. M. de Rooij, Loes Janssen, Herm Martens

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Lipoedema is a chronic disorder in which excessive fat distribution occurs predominantly from the waist down, resulting in a disproportion between the lower extremities and upper torso. Lipoedema is often not recognized, while patients experience pain and easy bruising. As a long-term condition, lipoedema has a massive effect on patients' lives and mental health. The aim of this study is to explore patient characteristics, quality of life, physical complaints and comorbidities in patients with lipoedema. A survey was conducted by email amongst lipoedema patients, consisting of informed consent and multiple questionnaires. The questionnaires included general patient characteristics, physical complaints, comorbidities, RAND-36 and EQ-5D-3L. Participants who responded to a message on the Dutch Lipoedema Association website were recruited. All lipoedema patients experience physical complaints, with pain (88.3 %) and easy bruising (85.9 %) as primary complaints. The diagnosis was mostly made by a dermatologist after visiting a mean of 2.8 doctors. Furthermore, mean time from onset until diagnosis was 18 years. Quality of life (59.3) was significantly lower than the Dutch female average (74.9; p < 0.001). Additionally, patients with comorbidities had significant lower quality of life (RAND 54.7, p < 0.001). Lipoedema patients often have severe complaints and experience lower quality of life regarding physical, emotional and social functioning. Additionally, comorbidities have a large impact on quality of life.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)303-311
Number of pages9
JournalDermatology and Therapy
Volume8
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2018

Keywords

  • Comorbidities
  • Lipoedema
  • Physical complaints
  • Physical functioning
  • Quality of life
  • CLINICAL PRESENTATION
  • THE-LITERATURE
  • HEALTH-STATUS
  • LIPEDEMA
  • POPULATION
  • EUROQOL
  • LIPOSUCTION
  • LYMPHEDEMA
  • THERAPY.
  • OBESITY

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