Association between pain, body mass index, and clinical characteristics in lipedema: Segmental analysis using bioimpedance
- 1Department of Physical Therapy, Instituto Lipedema Chile, Viña del Mar, Chile
- 2Department of Physical Therapy, Universidade Inspirar, Curitiba, Brazil
Abstract
Objective: We aimed to evaluate the association between pain, body mass index (BMI), clinical stage, and morphological type in women with lipedema, using segmental bioimpedance to correlate with clinical symptoms.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study of adult women with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of lipedema. We collected clinical variables, body composition by multifrequency bioimpedance, and pain intensity (visual analog scale 0-10). We examined associations between clinical and biophysical parameters using correlation analyses and group comparisons based on data distribution.
Results: Pain was present in most participants, regardless of BMI, clinical stage, or morphological type. Pain showed the strongest associations with touch hypersensitivity and leg heaviness. Bioimpedance measurements indicated notably higher fat accumulation in the lower limbs, whereas lean mass remained relatively preserved. BMI did not accurately reflect functional severity.
Conclusions: In lipedema, pain correlates more closely with clinical symptoms such as touch hypersensitivity and leg heaviness than with morphological parameters or BMI; however, these symptoms are nonspecific and should be interpreted as exploratory findings rather than diagnostic markers. Segmental bioimpedance adds descriptive value to clinical stratification and supports multidisciplinary management, whereas early recognition of lipedema should continue to rely on established clinical diagnostic criteria.
Related
- Physiological discordance between clinical examination, bioimpedance spectroscopy, and lung ultrasound in maintenance hemodialysis patients without heart failure
- Lipedema in a male patient: familial evidence and clinical response to nutritional intervention – case report Lipedema em paciente masculino: evidência familiar e resposta clínica à intervenção nutricional – relato de caso
- Association Between the Time from Onset to Nadir and the Clinical Characteristics in Patients with Guillain–Barré Syndrome
- Association of Diagnosis Age with Clinical Characteristics and MRI Findings in Multiple Sclerosis.
- Treatment Adherence and its Association with Demographic Characteristics and Clinical Factors Among Patients with Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional, Descriptive-Correlational Study.
BibTeX
@article{pusic2026association,
title = {{Association between pain, body mass index, and clinical characteristics in lipedema: Segmental analysis using bioimpedance}},
author = {Jubiza Pusic and Sofía Mora and Patricia Froes Meyer},
journal = {Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1016/j.jvsv.2026.102585},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvsv.2026.102585},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Association between pain, body mass index, and clinical characteristics in lipedema: Segmental analysis using bioimpedance
AU - Jubiza Pusic
AU - Sofía Mora
AU - Patricia Froes Meyer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/24
JO - Journal of Vascular Surgery: Venous and Lymphatic Disorders
DO - 10.1016/j.jvsv.2026.102585
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvsv.2026.102585
AB - Objective: We aimed to evaluate the association between pain, body mass index (BMI), clinical stage, and morphological type in women with lipedema, using segmental bioimpedance to correlate with clinical symptoms. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study of adult women with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of lipedema. We collected clinical variables, body composition by multifrequency bioimpedance, and pain intensity (visual analog scale 0-10). We examined associations between clinical and biophysical parameters using correlation analyses and group comparisons based on data distribution. Results: Pain was present in most participants, regardless of BMI, clinical stage, or morphological type. Pain showed the strongest associations with touch hypersensitivity and leg heaviness. Bioimpedance measurements indicated notably higher fat accumulation in the lower limbs, whereas lean mass remained relatively preserved. BMI did not accurately reflect functional severity. Conclusions: In lipedema, pain correlates more closely with clinical symptoms such as touch hypersensitivity and leg heaviness than with morphological parameters or BMI; however, these symptoms are nonspecific and should be interpreted as exploratory findings rather than diagnostic markers. Segmental bioimpedance adds descriptive value to clinical stratification and supports multidisciplinary management, whereas early recognition of lipedema should continue to rely on established clinical diagnostic criteria.
SN - 2213-333X
SN - 2213-3348
ER -