The Relationship Between Lipedema and Osteoporosis

Clinical characteristics such as age, body mass index (BMI), education level, marital status, age at menopause, number of births, duration of illness, occupation, duration of lactation, history of fractures, family history of fractures, smoking, alcohol consumption, dairy product intake, sun exposure habits, stage of lipedema, and type of lipedema will be recorded. Your blood test results obtained prior to routine osteoporosis treatment (complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), parathyroid hormone (PTH), and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels) will be recorded. The severity of lower extremity pain will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Scores on the lower extremity functional scale will be recorded. For patients with lipedema, the average and most severe lower extremity pain experienced over the past month will be recorded. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) measurements assessing current bone loss will be recorded for the lumbar and hip regions.

Inclusion criteria

• being literate
• voluntarily agreeing to participate in the study
• being a postmenopausal woman
• having a diagnosis of lipedema

Exclusion criteria

• the presence of other types of edema in which a component other than lipedema predominates (e.g., lymphedema, venous edema, edema associated with heart or kidney failure, etc.)
• chronic liver disease,
• body mass index (BMI) of over 50.0 (this condition reflects severe obesity, which has a significant impact on health beyond lipedema alone)
• the presence of rheumatological diseases that may lead to secondary osteoporosis
• a history of cancer, endocrine disorders, neurological disorders, certain gastrointestinal disorders
• use of medications related to osteoporosis
• being under 18 years of age