Cardiac Alterations in Patients with Familial Lipodystrophy.

Familial lipodystrophy is a rare genetic condition in which individuals have, besides metabolic changes and body fat deposits, a type of cardiomyopathy that has not been well studied. Many of the patients develop cardiovascular changes, the most commonly reported in the literature being the expression of a type of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This article, presented as a bibliographic review, reviews the clinical and cardiovascular imaging aspects in this scenario of cardiomyopathy in a rare metabolic disease, based on the latest scientific evidence published in the area. Despite the frequent association of congenital lipodystrophy and ventricular hypertrophy described in the literature, the pathophysiological mechanisms of this cardiomyopathy have not yet been definitively elucidated, and new information on cardiac morphological aspects is emerging in the aegis of recent and advanced imaging methods, such as cardiac magnetic resonance.

Cardiac Alterations in Patients with Familial Lipodystrophy / Alterações Cardiovasculares em Pacientes Portadores de Lipodistrofia Familiar

Abstract Familial lipodystrophy is a rare genetic condition in which individuals have, besides metabolic changes and body fat deposits, a type of cardiomyopathy that has not been well studied. Many of the patients develop cardiovascular changes, the most commonly reported in the literature being the expression of a type of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This article, presented as a bibliographic review, reviews the clinical and cardiovascular imaging aspects in this scenario of cardiomyopathy in a rare metabolic disease, based on the latest scientific evidence published in the area. Despite the frequent association of congenital lipodystrophy and ventricular hypertrophy described in the literature, the pathophysiological mechanisms of this cardiomyopathy have not yet been definitively elucidated, and new information on cardiac morphological aspects is emerging in the aegis of recent and advanced imaging methods, such as cardiac magnetic resonance.

Resumo A lipodistrofia familiar é uma condição genética rara na qual indivíduos apresentam, além das alterações metabólicas e de depósitos de gordura físicos, um tipo de cardiomiopatia pouco estudada. Muitos dos pacientes desenvolvem alterações cardiovasculares, sendo a mais comumente reportada em literatura, a expressão de um tipo de cardiomiopatia hipertrófica. Este artigo, apresentado como uma revisão bibliográfica, revisa os aspectos clínicos e de imagem cardiovascular neste cenário de cardiomiopatia em doença metabólica rara, com base nas últimas evidências científicas publicadas na área. Apesar da frequente associação de lipodistrofia congênita e hipertrofia ventricular descrita em literatura, os mecanismos fisiopatológicos desta cardiomiopatia ainda não estão definitivamente elucidados, e novas informações do aspecto morfológico cardíaco surgem à égide de recentes e avançados métodos de imagem como a ressonância cardíaca magnética.

Bone Density in Patients With Berardinelli-Seip Congenital Lipodystrophy Is Higher in Trabecular Sites and in Type 2 Patients.

Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy (BSCL) is a rare autosomal recessive syndrome characterized by a difficulty storing lipid in adipocytes, low body fat, hypoleptinemia, and hyperinsulinemia. We report here laboratory, bone mineral density (BMD), and bone mineral content findings of 21 patients (24.1 ± 8.4 yr old, 14 females, 18 diabetics, 5.3% total body fat) with BSCL. The mean leptin was very low (0.91 ± 0.42 ng/mL), and the mean values of the Z-scores for all studied sites were positive, except for the 33% radius (Z-score -0.5 standard deviation [SD]). Twelve patients (57.1%) had a BMD Z-score higher than +2.5 SD in at least 1 site. There was no significant difference in the Z-scores between males and females. None of type 1 (AGPAT2) patients had Z-scores higher than +2.5 SD, and these patients had a smaller Z-score of BMD total body (0.26 SD vs 1.90 SD, p = 0.022) and of bone mineral content (1.59 SD vs 3.3 SD, p = 0.032) than type 2 (seipin) patients. Insulin, as well as HOMAIR (homeostasis model assessment), correlated positively with the BMD of all sites, except for the 33% radius. Z-Scores on this site (33% radius) were the smallest of all. More than half of our patients with BSCL have BMD Z-scores higher than +2.5 SD on at least 1 site, and this increase is more pronounced in the trabecular sites and in type 2 patients.

Bone imaging findings in genetic and acquired lipodystrophic syndromes: an imaging study of 24 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the bone imaging features of lipodystrophies in the largest cohort ever published. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively examined bone imaging data in 24 patients with lipodystrophic syndromes. Twenty-two had genetic lipodystrophy: 12/22 familial partial lipodystrophy (FPLD) and 10/22 congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL), 8 with AGPAT2-linked CGL1 and 2 with seipin-linked CGL2. Two patients had acquired generalized lipodystrophy (AGL) in a context of non-specific autoimmune disorders. Skeletal radiographs were available for all patients, with radiographic follow-up for two. Four patients with CGL1 underwent MRI, and two of them also underwent CT. RESULTS: Patients with FPLD showed non-specific degenerative radiographic abnormalities. Conversely, CGL patients showed three types of specific radiographic alterations: diffuse osteosclerosis (in 7 patients, 6 with CGL1 and 1 with CGL2), well-defined osteolytic lesions sparing the axial skeleton (7 CGL1 and 1 CGL2), and pseudo-osteopoikilosis (4 CGL1). Pseudo-osteopoikilosis was the sole bone abnormality observed in one of the two patients with AGL. Osteolytic lesions showed homogeneous low signal intensity (SI) on T1-weighted and high SI on T2-weighted MR images. Most of them were asymptomatic, although one osteolytic lesion resulted in a spontaneous knee fracture and secondary osteoarthritis in a patient with CGL1. MRI also showed diffuse fatty bone marrow alterations in patients with CGL1, with intermediate T1 and high T2 SI, notably in radiographically normal areas. CONCLUSIONS: The three types of peculiar imaging bone abnormalities observed in generalized lipodystrophic syndromes (diffuse osteosclerosis, lytic lesions and/or pseudo-osteopoikilosis) may help clinicians with an early diagnosis in pauci-symptomatic patients.

Computed tomography findings of congenital generalized lipodystrophy: multiple nodular fatty liver and diffuse sclerosis of bones.

Congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL) is a rare autosomal recessive disease that is also referred to as Berardinelli-Seip syndrome. It is characterized by a lack of adipose tissue throughout the body from birth, muscular hypertrophy, advanced bone age, fatty liver, and insulin resistance. We describe computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance findings for a 35-year-old woman with CGL. Multiple nodular, well-defined regions of fatty infiltration of the liver are rare and have never been previously reported in a patient with lipodystrophy. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing CT findings of bone sclerotic changes associated with CGL.