HubHip: Health: Conditions and Diseases: Skin Disorders: Dercum Disease (16)

DescriptionDercum's disease, Dercum disease, Adiposis Dolorosa, Morbus Dercum, Adiposita Dolorosa, Fettvävsreumatism, painful fatty tumors, lipomas, weakness, obesity.

This category is about a disease that has been identified for over a hundred years, yet no recent research exists on the cause of it. It was originally named by Dr. Francis X. Dercum in 1892 as adiposis dolorosa. It has since picked up his name as an identifier and both names seem to be equally popular. It generally occurs in women (less 16% are men), between the ages of 25-40 (in Sweden) or 40-65 (in the USA). They cite obesity as a cause, but they have it backwards -- the disease actually causes the obesity -- and weight reduction efforts have little effect on the pain or the obesity.

Two articles has attributed it to an autosomal dominant genetic disease, but there is no explanation why it can be benign in some and so debilitating in others.

There is no cure, and no easy way to diagnose that a person has this disease. The key(s) are painful fatty deposits (benign lipomas, either encapsulated or diffuse), where the pain has been evident for three (3) months or more.

All treatments are palliative -- treat the symptoms -- ease the pain, suction out (via liposuction) or excise the more painful tumors (remember they are benign), and counsel the patient to be able to endure the never-ending pain.

Research into the cause or the stimulus that worsens the disease is needed.

DescriptionDercum's disease, Dercum disease, Adiposis Dolorosa, Morbus Dercum, Adiposita Dolorosa, Fettvävsreumatism, painful fatty tumors, lipomas, weakness, obesity.

This category is about a disease that has been identified for over a hundred years, yet no recent research exists on the cause of it. It was originally named by Dr. Francis X. Dercum in 1892 as adiposis dolorosa. It has since picked up his name as an identifier and both names seem to be equally popular. It generally occurs in women (less 16% are men), between the ages of 25-40 (in Sweden) or 40-65 (in the USA). They cite obesity as a cause, but they have it backwards -- the disease actually causes the obesity -- and weight reduction efforts have little effect on the pain or the obesity.

Two articles has attributed it to an autosomal dominant genetic disease, but there is no explanation why it can be benign in some and so debilitating in others.

There is no cure, and no easy way to diagnose that a person has this disease. The key(s) are painful fatty deposits (benign lipomas, either encapsulated or diffuse), where the pain has been evident for three (3) months or more.

All treatments are palliative -- treat the symptoms -- ease the pain, suction out (via liposuction) or excise the more painful tumors (remember they are benign), and counsel the patient to be able to endure the never-ending pain.

Research into the cause or the stimulus that worsens the disease is needed.

   Dercum Disease

Last update: 2008-05-06 13:32:16 Dercum Disease | Copyright 2008 HubHip.com