Is there anything that will show up in a biopsy, that will help diagnose dercums.
I have not had one done but I heard that the fat cells are larger than normal with DD and the cells don’t handle heat in a normal fashion. This would be a good question for Dr. Herbst. Good luck. Hope it is not DD! I have heard that it is milder in men but that may just be an old wives tale!
Hi Sylvia,
Just have to say I know some men on another site who have DD. They don’t seem to become obese, but they are not spared anything else. Some of them are among the sickest on the site.
You are right about the cells being larger than normal, but there are no tests to identify Dercum’s yet. Most labs seem to come back normal.
Pamela
Hi Mike,
Not really. Some of us have had biopsies for research purposes. I had a full thickness, skin to muscle biopsy and all she could tell me was that it was consistent with other known DD sufferers. Dercum’s can not at present be diagnosed with a biopsy or tests. It is purely a clinical diagnosis, and not easy to get even when you are plastered with the little monsters. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Pamela