[Lipedema: clinical and diagnostic criteria]

Lipedema is a common disease in the usual clinical practice. None organic description about the clinical symptoms and signs associated to this condition has been published. Fifty women with lipedema have been examined by the authors, and incidence rates of symptoms and signs have been emphasized. The following signs and symptoms were constantly reported: "Egyptian column", elastic edema, negative Stemmer's sign, alterated plantar support, cutaneous hypothermia. Some others were frequently found: ecchymosis, spontaneous pain, liposclerosis on the thigh, hypodermic hyperalgesia and pain on the internal face of the knee. Moreover, the two most relevant differential diagnosis as well as their two variant's clinical features (mixed lipedema and "thin women" lipedema) have been described.