Proceedings of the annual meeting of the European Consortium of Lipodystrophies (ECLip), Pisa, Italy, 28–29 September 2023

Abstract

Lipodystrophic syndromes are rare diseases affecting primarily the development or maintenance of the adipose tissue but are also distressing indirectly multiple organs and tissues, causing in most of the cases reduced life expectancy and quality of life. Lipodystrophy syndromes are multifaceted disorders caused by genetic mutations or autoimmune and iatrogenic mechanisms, many subtypes are now recognized and classified but the disease remains remarkably underdiagnosed. The European Consortium of Lipodystrophies (ECLip) was founded in 2014 as a non-profit network of European centers of excellence working in the field of lipodystrophies aiming at promoting international collaborations to increase basic scientific understanding and clinical management of these syndromes. The network has developed a European Patient Registry as a collaborative research platform for consortium members. ECLip and ECLip registry activities involve patient advocacy groups to increase public awareness and to advice on research activities relevant from the patients perspective. The annual ECLip congress gives an update on the research results of the various network groups members.