Diseases of fat

Abstract

Fatty tissue is part of the connective tissue and is found almost everywhere in the body. Essentially, it serves as an energy store, offers protection against heat loss and performs mechanical tasks. Panniculitides are a broad group of inflammatory diseases of the subcutaneous fat with heterogeneous etiology. Patients often have uncharacteristically indurated erythematous nodules that may or may not be related to generalized symptoms. A diagnosis can often be achieved by histological analysis of a deep biopsy. By far the most common form of panniculitis is erythema nodosum, which is more common than all other forms of panniculitis taken together. Other panniculitides may develop consequent to infections, after physical injuries such as exposure to cold temperature, as part of different autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, or as reactions to various drugs. Some other rare forms of panniculitides develop particularly in young children. This chapter also discusses the various forms and diseases accompanied by lipoatrophy and lipodystrophy.