Lipodystrophy syndrome


A disturbance of lipid (fat) metabolism that involves the partial or total absence of fat, and often abnormal deposition and distribution of fat in the body. There are a number of different lipodystrophy syndromes. Some of them are present at birth (congenital), and others are acquired later. Some are genetic (inherited), and others are not. One lipodystrophy syndrome is associated with HIV infection and antiretroviral drug therapy but the exact cause of this syndrome is unknown. In lipodystrophy syndrome, the face, arms, and legs become thin due to loss of subcutaneous fat, and the skin becomes dry, the lips crack, and weight drops. See also cephalothoracic lipodystrophy; protease inhibitor.

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    A disorder characterized by painless symmetrical diffuse deposits of fat beneath the skin of the neck, upper trunk, arms and legs. The condition is thought to be genetic although its exact mode of inheritance is uncertain; it may be a mitochondrial DNA disease. It frequently appears in association with alcoholic liver disease, macrocytic anemia (“low […]

  • Lipoidosis, sphingomyelin

    the classical infantile form (type A), the visceral (organ) form (type B), the subacute or juvenile form (type C), the Nova Scotian variant (type D), and the adult form (type E). The disease is named for the German physicians Albert Niemann (1880-1921) and Ludwig Pick (1868-1944). Other names for the disease include sphingomyelinase deficiency.

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