{
  "abstract": "Background: Weight loss may not reliably improve symptoms or adipose tissue abnormalities in lipoedema. Whether symptom improvement during incretin-based pharmacotherapy is associated with the magnitude of weight loss is unknown.\n\nMethods: We retrospectively analysed prospectively collected outcomes from 49 women with clinically diagnosed lipoedema treated with tirzepatide in routine care at a specialist clinic between January 2024 and May 2026. The Lipedema Symptom Assessment Questionnaire (QuASiL; range 0–150) was completed before treatment and at the most recent follow-up (3–18 months). The primary analysis examined the association between percentage weight change and percentage symptom change.\n\nResults: Weight change was not significantly associated with symptom change (r = 0.058, 95% confidence interval −0.23 to 0.33; p = 0.692). Baseline-adjusted analysis of covariance agreed (weight-change β = 0.03; p = 0.890). Symptom change was also not significantly associated with dose intensity or treatment duration. In contrast, weight change was associated with dose intensity (r = −0.569) and duration (r = −0.611).\n\nConclusions: Every participant improved by at least 30% on the QuASiL and 93.9% by at least 50%, yet no significant association was observed between symptom improvement and weight loss, dose intensity, or treatment duration, whereas weight loss showed exposure-response associations. The near-zero estimate, small sample and uniform symptom response leave a confidence interval that does not exclude small-to-moderate associations, so independence from weight loss cannot be inferred, and without a control group the improvement cannot be attributed to tirzepatide. These hypothesis-generating findings require confirmation in controlled studies with objective outcomes.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Gynecology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Diogo Pinto da Costa Viana"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Adriana Luckow Invitti"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Eduardo Schor"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/eztdv2jaytdx8.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.metop.2026.100518",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13737382/",
  "id": "eztdv2jaytdx8",
  "issns": [
    "2589-9368"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metop.2026.100518",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research Paper"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2746|Body Contouring and Surgery"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223551628",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13737382",
  "pmid": "42991981",
  "published": "2026-10-25",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/eztdv2jaytdx8.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-09T12:22:35Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13737382",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metop.2026.100518"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2746|Body Contouring and Surgery",
      "subfield": "surgery"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Symptom improvement was not significantly associated with weight loss, dose, or treatment duration in women with lipoedema treated with tirzepatide: a retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected outcomes",
  "title_text": "Symptom improvement was not significantly associated with weight loss, dose, or treatment duration in women with lipoedema treated with tirzepatide: a retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected outcomes",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T12:22:35Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/eztdv2jaytdx8",
  "venue": "Metabolism Open",
  "versions": []
}