Handelsman et al listed clinical and laboratory clues that may help to identify a patient with lipodystrophy.
Clinical and laboratory findings that may be clues for lipodystrophy:
(1) focal or generalized loss of subcutaneous fat
(2) diabetes mellitus with severe insulin resistance (acanthosis nigricans, need for high doses of insulin for glucose control)
(3) hypertriglyceridemia (serum triglycerides >= 500 mg/dL) poorly responsive to diet and/or medical therapy with or without pancreatitis
(4) nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
(5) family history of similar findings
(6) disproportionate hyperphagia
(7) male with secondary hypgonadism
(8) female with amenorrhea and/or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
(9) prominent muscularity with enlarged veins (phlebomegaly) in the extremities
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Specialty: Endocrinology, Clinical Laboratory, Dermatology