Study Names Obesity Itself as Actual Cause of MLL Overgrowths

Mark J. Holterman, MD, serves as a professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. In addition to teaching classes in the fields of pediatrics and surgery, Dr. Mark J. Holterman maintains standing as a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons reveals that abnormal lower extremity growths in morbidly obese individuals are the result of a condition called obesity-induced lymphedema (OIL), which is a disease directly caused by morbid obesity.

In the pilot study, researchers sought to find the connection between obesity and lower extremity overgrowths, as little information was previously known on the subject. The typical procedure has been surgical removal of these growths. Researchers found, however, that losing weight through natural means (diet, exercise) or in more difficult cases via bariatric surgery are now the preferred treatment of these growths rather than surgical removal.

The overgrowth condition is called massive localized lymphedema (MLL), and this study is the first to actually link the condition directly to OIL. The recommendation for patients with MLL growths is that they receive weight loss counseling, preferably non-surgical in nature, before surgical treatments are considered.