Partial lipodystrophy in patients who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation during childhood: an institutional cross-sectional survey

Partial lipodystrophy (PD), a condition similar to metabolic syndrome without obesity, is one of the late complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) performed during childhood. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of PD. A cross-sectional survey was performed in a children’s hospital, targeting patients treated for a malignancy or hematological disorder, and who were disease-free for > 24 mo. PD was defined as gluteal lipoatrophy and lipohypertrophy of the cheeks or neck associated with diabetes and/or fatty liver disease. In total, 65 patients were enrolled. Six patients (9.2%) were judged to have PD, all of whom had received 10–14 Gy total body irradiation. Compared with the patients without PD, patients with PD were older at investigation (P < 0.01), had a longer elapsed time following HSCT (P < 0.01), had more frequent disease recurrence (P < 0.05), and were more likely to have undergone multiple HSCT (P < 0.05). In addition, they had higher blood pressure and showed higher levels of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and triglycerides, whereas their adiponectin levels were significantly lower. In conclusion, a large number of patients developed PD following HSCT, with unfavorable metabolic profiles at a later age, especially when they experienced a complex disease course.