Lipedema and the Evolution to Lymphedema With the Progression of Obesity

Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of subclinical and clinical systemic lymphedema in patients with lipedema and different body mass index (BMI) values. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of subclinical systemic lymphedema and clinical lymphedema of the lower limbs detected by bioimpedance (InBody S10 device, Seoul, Korea) in 258 women with clinically diagnosed lipedema. The patients were divided into three groups based on BMI: Group I - BMI below 30 kg/m(2); Group II - BMI between 30 and 40 kg/m(2); and Group III - BMI 40 to 50 kg/m(2). Results: Fisher's exact test revealed a statistically significant difference between Group I and both Groups II and III (p = 0.0001) regarding the occurrence of lower limb lymphedema. Conclusion: Patients with lipedema can develop edema even when their weight is within the standards of normality. However, obesity is an aggravating factor, as the prevalence of lipedema increases progressively with the increase in weight.