Semicircular Lipoatrophy in Public Office Workers

Abstract

Introduction: Semicircular lipoatrophy (LS) is a benign disorder of the subcutaneous tissue, of unknown cause, characterized by semicircular depressions on the anterolateral aspect of the thighs and less frequently in the abdomen or arms.

Method: Observational, prospective, longitudinal study, in 449 office workers, from the same public institution, located in various buildings in the city of Castelldefels, Province of Barcelona, ​​Spain, between July 2018 and April 2021 at that identification, measurements, photography and periodic controls of the LS were carried out. The results were analyzed using the Instat Graphpad program and the Fischer test was applied to determine statistical significance.

Results: 74 cases of LS were diagnosed out of a total of 449 workers. Prevalence: 16.48%. Of the 74 cases identified, 71 were women (95.9%). The average age was 49.18 years (27-64). Most of the lesions were located on the thighs bilaterally. The LS lesions did not disappear in 66.6% of the cases, while in 33.3% they did. Teleworking and body mass index were not significant factors in the disappearance of the injuries.

Conclusions: Semicircular lipoatrophy is an infrequent alteration of the subcutaneous tissue influenced by a series of factors ranging from work environment, individual susceptibility and female sex. LS lesions take a very variable time to reverse, it is usually a slow process whose duration is measured in years rather than months. Neither telework nor body mass index had a statistically significant relationship in the disappearance of injuries in this series.