Project: Identification of Lipedema-pain specific sensory measures as basis for future diagnostics

Principal Investigator: Tim Hucho, Prof. Dr. rer. nat.
Working Group Chair
Translational Pain Research
University of Cologne, University Hospital Cologne

Project Member: Rebecca Dinnendahl, M.Sc., PhD candidate
Neuroscientist
Translational Pain Research
University of Cologne, University Hospital Cologne

Summary

This research explores whether Lipedema patients may be identified by measurements of sensory detection thresholds of the hand and thigh.

Background

Through our previous research, we were able to show that changes of just 2 out of 13 determined sensory thresholds set normal-weight Lipedema patients apart from non-Lipedema women. This observation needs to be validated by repetition on a set of women independent of the previous test set.

Further, such measurements need to be extended from normal-weight to moderately as well as strongly overweight participants to test if such sensory differences exist for them as well.

Methodology

In this observational study, we compare sensory detection thresholds of participants with Lipedema to thresholds of participants without Lipedema. We will repeat such measurements on normal weight patients and will extend the scope to moderately as well as severely overweight patients.

As this is a purely observational study, there is no intervention. Simply, sensory thresholds are measured in women of different weight with or without Lipedema.

In the process of measuring different sensory thresholds, the stimuli are applied with increasing or decreasing intensity and the participants are asked to indicate when they may feel the respective stimulus. This allows the identification of so called sensory detection thresholds.

Expected outcomes

We expect to reproduce the same difference in sensory thresholds between Lipedema patients and non-Lipedema participants for the normal weight group. Further, such a difference may be present also in moderately as well as in severely overweight participants.

Practical implementations of results

This study may suggest a simple test for identification of Lipedema patients based on changes of sensory detection thresholds, which coincide with other Lipedema diagnostic criteria such as symmetric presentation, diet resistance and easy bruising. This may help reduce the time until diagnosis and may help better define patient cohorts for future studies.

Our Research Grantees by:   Topic | Recent Projects | Past Projects

LF50_22