If you have body wide pain that waxes and wanes that can be mild to severe and disabling, along with fatigue, generalized weakness, headaches, stiffness after resting, memory or concentration problems, and bouts of depression, you might wonder if it’s fibromyalgia.  If these symptoms occur and multiple, painful growths consisting of fatty tissue (lipomas) are found just below the surface of the skin, you may want to learn more about Dercum’s disease.  An extremely rare disorder, Dercum’s disease  affects more females than males, with the majority between 45-60 years old.  Individuals may have weight gain, depression, lethargy, and/or confusion.

Some reports in medical literature suggest Dercum’s disease may be an autoimmune disorder and run in families.  The Fat Disorders Research Society sponsored the “Lipedema & Dercum’s Disease:  Goals for the Future & Tools for Today” conference in Salt Lake City in April 2017.  A recording of the live stream will be available at the FDRS website (http://www.fatdisorders.org/society/events/fdrs-conference-2017).