Lipedema research (2000-2025): a global bibliometric analysis with evidence of an emerging immunological paradigm.
- 1Amato Duo - São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
- 2Medical Valens Center - São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
Abstract
Objective
The aim of this study was to characterize global scientific output on lipedema from 2000 to 2025 and identify emerging thematic trends, with emphasis on the emergence of immunological research.Methods
Publications indexed in Google Scholar, PubMed, Crossref, OpenAlex, and Scopus were retrieved using the terms "lipedema" OR "lipoedema." Records were deduplicated by normalized title matching and DOI cross-referencing. Bibliometric indicators computed included publication volume, citation metrics, field h-index, exponential growth rate, geographic distribution, author metrics, specialty classification (journal-name keyword matching supplemented by OpenAlex concept tags), and immunological content (regular-expression pattern matching against a predefined term list).Results
A total of 942 unique publications were identified, accumulating 13,688 citations (field h-index=60; mean 14.5 citations per article; median 2 citations per article). Annual output grew from below 12 per year through 2009 to 145 in 2025, with a doubling time of 3.6 years (R2=0.90; p<0.001). The United States, Germany, and Brazil were the most productive countries. Karen Lynn Herbst (USA) was the most influential researcher (46 papers; h-index=20; 1,586 citations). Lymphology and phlebology formed the dominant classifiable domain (17.1%), with 69.3% of publications spanning multiple disciplines. Publications with immunological content totaled 30 (3.2%), grew from essentially zero before 2019 to 4.8% of annual output in 2025, and received higher mean citations than non-immunological articles (16.6 vs. 14.5).Conclusion
Lipedema research is undergoing rapid exponential expansion driven by growing global recognition of a historically neglected condition. The accelerating immunological trend, with consistently higher citation impact, indicates an accelerating paradigm shift toward chronic adipose tissue inflammation as a unifying pathophysiological framework.
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BibTeX
@article{amato2026lipedema,
title = {{Lipedema research (2000-2025): a global bibliometric analysis with evidence of an emerging immunological paradigm.}},
author = {Alexandre Campos Moraes Amato and Juliana Lelis Spirandeli Amato and Daniel Augusto Benitti},
journal = {Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1590/1806-9282.20260760},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42912067},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Lipedema research (2000-2025): a global bibliometric analysis with evidence of an emerging immunological paradigm.
AU - Alexandre Campos Moraes Amato
AU - Juliana Lelis Spirandeli Amato
AU - Daniel Augusto Benitti
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992)
DO - 10.1590/1806-9282.20260760
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42912067
AB - Objective The aim of this study was to characterize global scientific output on lipedema from 2000 to 2025 and identify emerging thematic trends, with emphasis on the emergence of immunological research.Methods Publications indexed in Google Scholar, PubMed, Crossref, OpenAlex, and Scopus were retrieved using the terms "lipedema" OR "lipoedema." Records were deduplicated by normalized title matching and DOI cross-referencing. Bibliometric indicators computed included publication volume, citation metrics, field h-index, exponential growth rate, geographic distribution, author metrics, specialty classification (journal-name keyword matching supplemented by OpenAlex concept tags), and immunological content (regular-expression pattern matching against a predefined term list).Results A total of 942 unique publications were identified, accumulating 13,688 citations (field h-index=60; mean 14.5 citations per article; median 2 citations per article). Annual output grew from below 12 per year through 2009 to 145 in 2025, with a doubling time of 3.6 years (R2=0.90; p<0.001). The United States, Germany, and Brazil were the most productive countries. Karen Lynn Herbst (USA) was the most influential researcher (46 papers; h-index=20; 1,586 citations). Lymphology and phlebology formed the dominant classifiable domain (17.1%), with 69.3% of publications spanning multiple disciplines. Publications with immunological content totaled 30 (3.2%), grew from essentially zero before 2019 to 4.8% of annual output in 2025, and received higher mean citations than non-immunological articles (16.6 vs. 14.5).Conclusion Lipedema research is undergoing rapid exponential expansion driven by growing global recognition of a historically neglected condition. The accelerating immunological trend, with consistently higher citation impact, indicates an accelerating paradigm shift toward chronic adipose tissue inflammation as a unifying pathophysiological framework.
SN - 0104-4230
SN - 1806-9282
ER -