What are the main symptoms of Dercum disease?
What are the main symptoms of Dercum disease?
This syndrome consists of four cardinal symptoms: (1) multiple, painful, fatty masses; (2) generalized obesity, usually in menopausal age; (3) weakness and fatigability; and (4) mental disturbances, including emotional instability, depression, epilepsy, confusion and dementia.
What type of doctor treats Dercums disease?
Since this is a very rare condition, you may need to be diagnosed by a specialist. This could be an internist, dermatologist (skin doctor), or an endocrinologist who treats hormone (gland) problems. You may also want to see a pain specialist.
Does Dercums disease make you fat?
Dercum’s disease mainly occurs in adults and more women are affected than men. Some affected individuals may also experience weight gain, depression, lethargy, and/or confusion. The exact cause of Dercum’s disease is unknown.
What is the difference between Dercums disease and lipedema?
Unlike lipedema, Dercum’s disease can cause patients to experience swelling in their hands or feet. Swelling and inflammation due to Dercum’s syndrome may occur for no apparent reason, and unlike with lipedema, may disappear without treatment.
Is Dercum’s disease life threatening?
According to a review in the Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases , Dercum’s disease is anywhere from 5 to 30 times more common in women. This wide range is an indication that Dercum’s disease isn’t well understood. Despite this lack of knowledge, there’s no evidence that Dercum’s disease affects life expectancy.
Does Dercums disease qualify for disability?
This is about a Social Security Disability claim. If you are suffering from Dercum disease, you know that there is no standard criteria for diagnosing the disease. Your treating physician may begin by ruling out other diseases, like fibromyalgia or lipedema.
How rare is Dercum disease?
People with Dercum’s disease (DD) have painful lipomas in the fat on their bodies. DD is thought to be rare. A rare disease as defined by the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 means that less than 200,000 people have the disease.
How is Dercums disease diagnosed?
There’s no standard criteria for diagnosing Dercum’s disease. Instead, your doctor will likely focus on ruling out other possible conditions, such as fibromyalgia or lipedema. To do this, your doctor might biopsy one of your lipomas. This involves taking a small tissue sample and looking at it under a microscope.
How many people in the UK have Dercums disease?
DD is thought to be rare. A rare disease as defined by the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 means that less than 200,000 people have the disease.
Can dercum cause dementia?
Psychiatric manifestations associated with Dercum’s disease are not found in all the patients. They include depression and emotional instability, sleep disturbances, and less frequently cognitive impairment, dementia and epilepsy.