[Lipomatosis induced by corticosteroid therapy]

Steroid-induced lipomatosis usually presents as a localized hypertrophy of the adipose tissue and seems more common than previously thought. Most patients develop this phenomenon after prolonged administration of moderate to high doses of oral corticosteroids. The localizations are numerous and determine the clinical presentation. Often asymptomatic, they can also be revealed by worrying symptoms usually due to a compressive syndrome. The most frequently reported localizations (spinal epidural, retro-orbital, mediastinal) are also the most clinically apparent. The cessation or reduction of steroid therapy, when medically possible, inconsistently results in the decrease or disappearance of the lipomatosis deposits. Computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging are the most helpful diagnostic means. Interestingly, these lipomatoses have rarely been reported in patients with Cushing disease. Their pathophysiology remains poorly elucidated and may imply an inhibition of the brown adipose tissue lipolysis.