Dear LPG readers,

There are so many details of life that pass most of us by because they don’t directly affect us, but having learnt a little about this, I felt it my duty to pass the facts on.

I recently read that disabled women, who suffer from Lipoedema, are being denied NHS treatment.  It is an under diagnosed chronic genetic condition that affects more than 72,000 girls and women in the United Kingdom.  It causes a disproportionate increase in fat tissue around the legs, thighs, buttocks and hips, resulting in severe pain and swelling.

Lipoedema is triggered by hormonal activity such as puberty and pregnancy and, consequently is rarely suffered by men.   It’s resistant to dieting because it results in a form of fibrous fat.  The only option for those diagnosed is to pay for surgery abroad as the NHS’s only specialist unit is at St George’s Hospital, Tooting.  There, they can only provide diagnosis, lifestyle support and compression garments.  The National Institute for Health and Care (NICE) will make a decision in October 2022, based on a consultation, to decide whether liposuction treatment will be made available on NHS.  Professor Peter Mortimer, whose team at St Georges Hospital sees 10 new Lipoedema patients a week, is frustrated about the lack of options on offer for significantly disabled women. 

Research by the Lipoedema UK Charity found that 10% of those surveyed considered themselves bedridden, 44% felt that their mental health was affected and 55% had spent more than ten years arriving at a diagnosis.  Wendy Williams, an American Talk show host, this year showed close ups of severely swollen ankles and admitted she cannot even ‘walk two blocks’.  She is forced to wear trainers as a result of swelling and the increase in her shoe size.

I have never heard of it before now and the frightening thing is that there are likely to be ladies who have been struggling with this illness all their lives, never knowing that the condition even exists. 

Seems unfair to me.

Gloria Brown. Camberwell,

LPG found some more online information…

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… and offers some places to start if you need to learn more…

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