An observational study in Lipedema, sponsored by Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 45 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-04-08.
Sponsored by Pennington Biomedical Research Center · Observational
Lipedema is characterized by an abnormal deposition of adipose tissue, resulting in fluid accumulation, limb enlargement, and pain. Lipedema is often misdiagnosed as simply obesity. A major challenge with diagnosis is the poorly understood biology underlying the disease. Limited studies suggest that the development of lipedema may involve adipocyte hypertrophy, increased commitment of adipose progenitor cells, hypoxia, adipocyte necrosis and macrophage recruitment. There remains an urgent need to investigate novel characteristics of adipose remodeling that may contribute to the pathogenesis of lipedema. The study investigators have reported quantitative measures of in vivo adipose kinetics using an 8-week incorporation of deuterium (administered as 2H2O) into the adipose tissue of women with obesity. The objective of this proposal is to utilize the metabolic 2H-labeling approach to measure, for the first time, in vivo adipocyte formation and triglyceride synthesis in the adipose tissue of participants with lipedema. Imaging approaches will provide a range of measurements to characterize the lipedema depots. The investigators hypothesize that lipedema adipose depots will have higher rates of adipocyte formation and triglyceride synthesis than both non-lipedema depots and those of women with traditional obesity. Lipedema may involve adipose tissue remodeling, characterized by adipocyte hypertrophy and increased commitment of preadipocytes and differentiation of adipocytes (adipogenesis), yielding an abundance of adipocytes with limited capacity to expand and accommodate lipid, resulting in hypoxia, macrophage recruitment, and local/systemic inflammation. Findings from this proposal will contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of lipedema and may provide insight for the future development of therapeutic targets.
85 studies on the registry are indexed under Lipedema; 32 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 17 is below the median of 90 across 42 observational studies indexed under Lipedema.
Browse Lipedema studies →Pennington Biomedical Research Center is the lead sponsor of 284 studies on the registry; 31 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Women with diagnosed lipedema will be recruited and enrolled at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. A racially/ethnically diverse population will be recruited based on the local demographics
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Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.
Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.
After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Clinically significant
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
HIV
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hepatitis B tests
Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.
Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hepatitis C tests
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.
After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Women with diagnosed lipedema
Assess in vivo adipocyte formation in lipedema adipose depots (femoral) and non-lipedema depots (abdominal,) from patients with lipedema.
Following the consumption of deuterium-labeled water (2H2O; heavy water), adipose tissue biopsies from the subcutaneous abdominal and femoral depots will be collected. The 2H from the heavy water is enriched into the DNA of newly formed adipocytes. Lipedema adipose depots (femoral) will be compared to non-lipedema depots (abdominal) in these women with lipedema.
Time frame: 8 weeks
Assess in vivo triglyceride formation in lipedema adipose depots (femoral) and non-lipedema depots (abdominal,) from patients with lipedema.
Following the consumption of deuterium-labeled water (2H2O; heavy water), adipose tissue biopsies from the subcutaneous abdominal and femoral depots will be collected. The 2H from the heavy water is enriched into the glycerol moiety of triglycerides, reflecting recent triglyceride formation. Lipedema adipose depots (femoral) will be compared to non-lipedema depots (abdominal) in these women with lipedema.
Time frame: 8 weeks
Ran from Apr 2022 to primary completion in Nov 2025, 43 months.
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This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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