title: Lipoatrophy revisited.
abstract: The lipoatrophy syndromes are a heterogeneous group of syndromes characterized by a paucity of adipose tissue. Severe lipoatrophy is associated with insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus (DM). The loss of adipose tissue can have a genetic, immune, or infectious/drug-associated etiology. Causative mutations have been identified in patients for one form of partial lipoatrophy--Dunnigan-type familial partial lipodystrophy. Experiments using lipoatrophic mice demonstrate that the diabetes results from the lack of fat and that leptin deficiency is a contributing factor. Thiazolidinedione therapy improves metabolic control in lipoatrophic patients; the efficacy of leptin treatment is currently being investigated.
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 8N-250, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-1770, USA. mlr@helix.nih.gov
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Reitman
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Arioglu
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gavrilova
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D003923:Diabetes Mellitus, Lipoatrophic / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice