Functioning of People with Lipoedema According to All Domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Lipoedema is a painful non-pitting diffuse “fatty” swelling, usually confined to the legs, that occurs mainly in women. This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of the available research on the functioning of people with lipoedema, according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework. Relevant publications and gray literature were retrieved until October 2022. The results sections of each publication were organized using a thematic framework approach. All included studies reported at least one outcome fitting within the domains of body functions and body structures, with most studies focusing on the categories of “sensation of pain”, “immunological system functions”, and “weight maintenance functions”. The ICF domains of activities and participation and environmental factors were mentioned in a small number of the included studies (17 and 13%, respectively), while the domain of personal factors was studied in half of the included studies. In conclusion, the emphasis of lipoedema research is on its description from a disorder-oriented point of view in the form of body functions and body structures, with a lack of information about the other domains of functioning.