Acquired partial lipodystrophy is characterized clinically by the gradual onset of bilaterally symmetrical loss of subcutaneous fat from the face, neck, upper extremities, thorax, and abdomen, in the 'cephalocaudal' sequence, sparing the lower extremities (summary by Misra et al., 2004). The disorder is not inherited in a classic mendelian pattern; it rather represents a phenotype with a complex etiology. Affected individuals may have genetic susceptibility factors that require the additional presence of environmental factors or acquired disorders to be expressed (summary by Hegele et al., 2006). Most cases are sporadic, family history is negative, and females are more often affected than males (ratio, 4:1).
There is an association between APLD and autoimmune diseases (Misra and Garg, 2003; Misra et al., 2004), and a
subset of patients have APLD associated with low serum
complement component C3 and the autoantibody C3 nephritic factor, with or without membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (APLDC3; 613913).
Acquired partial lipodystrophy is distinct from inherited forms of partial lipodystrophy, which are metabolic disorders that show clear mendelian inheritance (see, e.g., FPLD1, 608600). [from
OMIM]