Depression in Dercum's Disease and in Obesity: a Case Control Study

Overview

Journal BMC Psychiatry

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2012 Jul 5

PMID 22759645

Citations 5

Authors

Emma Hansson

Henry Svensson

Hakan Brorson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Dercum's disease is characterised by pronounced pain in the adipose tissue and a number of associated symptoms. The condition is usually accompanied by generalised weight gain. Many of the associated symptoms could also be signs of depression. Depression in Dercum's disease has been reported in case reports but has never been studied using an evidence-based methodology. The aim of this study was to examine the presence of depression in patients with Dercum's disease compared to obese controls that do not experience any pain.

Methods: A total of 111 women fulfilling the clinical criteria of Dercum's disease were included. As controls, 40 obese healthy women were recruited. To measure depression, the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) was used.

Results: According to the total MADRS score, less than half of the patients were classified as having "no depression" (44%), the majority had "light" or "moderate depression" (55%) and one individual had "severe depression" in the Dercum group. In the control groups, the majority of the patients were classified as having "no depression" (85%) and a small number had "light depression" (15%). There was a statistically significant difference for the total MADRS score between the two groups (p = 0.014).

Conclusion: The results indicate that the patients with Dercum's disease are more likely to suffer from depression than controls.

Citing Articles

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Marzynska D, Zaba R, Lacka K Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2023; 40(4):481-486.

PMID: 37692275 PMC: 10485760. DOI: 10.5114/ada.2023.129529.

Metabolic and immunological phenotype of rare lipomatoses: Dercum's disease and Roch-Leri mesosomatic lipomatosis.

Lemaitre M, Chevalier B, Jannin A, Le Mapihan K, Boury S, Lion G Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2021; 16(1):290.

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Rare Forms of Lipomatosis: Dercum's Disease and Roch-Leri Mesosomatous Lipomatosis.

Lemaitre M, Aubert S, Chevalier B, Jannin A, Bourry J, Prevost G J Clin Med. 2021; 10(6).

PMID: 33800991 PMC: 8003963. DOI: 10.3390/jcm10061292.

Dercum's disease (adiposis dolorosa): a review of clinical presentation and management.

Kucharz E, Kopec-Medrek M, Kramza J, Chrzanowska M, Kotyla P Reumatologia. 2019; 57(5):281-287.

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Paun D, Petris R, Ganescu R, Paun S, Vartic M, Beuran M Maedica (Bucur). 2017; 10(3):231-236.

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