What is the Difference Between Lipodystrophy and Lipohypertrophy?

Lipodystrophy and lipohypertrophy are both conditions related to abnormalities in adipose tissue distribution, but they have distinct characteristics:

Lipodystrophy is characterized by a complete or partial loss of or abnormal distribution of adipose tissue in certain areas of the body. It mainly affects children and women.
Lipohypertrophy is characterized by the development of lumps of fat or scar tissue under the skin. It mainly affects people who suffer from diabetes.

Both conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination and may be treated through liposuction. They are interrelated but distinct dermatological entities.

On this page

What is the Difference Between Lipodystrophy and Lipohypertrophy?

Comparative Table: Lipodystrophy vs Lipohypertrophy

Lipodystrophy and lipohypertrophy are both conditions related to the distribution and accumulation of adipose tissue, but they have distinct characteristics and consequences. Here is a table summarizing the differences between the two:

Feature	Lipodystrophy	Lipohypertrophy
Definition	Lipodystrophy is an umbrella term used to describe a diverse group of metabolic disorders characterized by either complete or partial loss of adipose tissue.	Lipohypertrophy is a major complication of subcutaneous insulin treatment, resulting in abnormal accumulation of fat at injection sites.
Types	Lipodystrophies can be either inherited or acquired, and can be categorized as congenital (affecting the whole body) or partial (affecting specific body regions).	Lipohypertrophy can be identified through a suitable palpation technique, which helps detect skin lipohypertrophic lesions in insulin-treated patients with diabetes.
Metabolic Complications	Patients with lipodystrophy suffer from numerous metabolic complications, indicating the importance of adipose tissue as an active endocrine organ.	Lipohypertrophy is responsible for unacceptable glucose oscillations due to a high rate of hypoglycemic episodes.
Treatment	Treatment depends on the cause of the lipodystrophy and may involve various therapeutic approaches, with a focus on the adipokines leptin and adiponectin.	Diabetes teams should follow systematically the simple procedure reported in the paper for the detection of lipohypertrophy, which has a major impact on patient education in terms of correct injection technique and management.

In summary, lipodystrophy is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by the loss of adipose tissue, while lipohypertrophy is a complication of insulin treatment resulting in the abnormal accumulation of fat at injection sites.

Guilherme Mazui

Guilherme Mazui is graduated in journalism from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a master's degree in Communication from the University of São Paulo (USP). In addition, he has experience in advertising writing and has worked as a content editor in several companies.