Lurking Under the Surface: Dercum's Disease

Adiposis dolorosa, also known as Dercum's disease, is a rare disorder characterized by debilitating painful lipomas throughout the body. The prevalence and etiology of Dercum's disease are unknown as mentioned in the National Organization of Rare Disorders. We present an interesting case of Dercum's disease in a 53-year-old female who initially presented with a six-week history of painful subcutaneous masses. Ultrasound findings were suggestive of lipomas, however, her symptoms were debilitating beyond that of benign lipomas. She then represented with a rapidly increasing number of soft tissue masses manifesting throughout her body, as well as significant diffuse pain concentrating around these lesions within a short period of time following her initial presentation. The patient underwent surgical excision of a select number of these masses, with histopathology consistent with lipomas. Most cases of Dercum's disease are sporadic, and no guidelines exist regarding the treatment of the disease. Due to the rarity of this condition, in conjunction with simple lipomas typically presenting as painless masses, many patients may be misdiagnosed and neglected due to being falsely labeled as pain seeking or having their symptoms attributed to psychological disorders. Management, therefore, is complex and currently consists of a multidisciplinary approach employing multimodal treatments, including pain control, surgical excision, and psychotherapy. Although this condition has been described in the literature for over 100 years, there have been minimal advancements towards alleviating the suffering of these patients. We aimed to unearth and bring to light the reality and the suffering experienced by patients with Decrum's disease.