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Living with Familial angiolipomatosis

A rare inherited condition with several benign fatty lumps under the skin of the arms, legs, and trunk.

Understanding Familial angiolipomatosis

Familial angiolipomatosis is a rare genetic condition with several benign lumps of fat and blood vessels under the skin.

The lumps are yellow, firm, and about 1 to 4 cm wide. They appear on the arms, legs, and trunk, and may extend deep between muscles and tendons without invading them. They run in families. They may be tender or mildly painful when pressed and do not go away on their own.

Signs & symptoms

GARD describes these features in its summary:

  • Several firm lumps under the skin
  • Yellow lumps 1 to 4 cm wide
  • Lumps on the arms, legs, and trunk
  • Mild pain or tenderness when pressed

Not everyone has every symptom. GARD's list comes from the Human Phenotype Ontology.

Diagnosis

  1. Talk with your doctor

    Share the symptoms you've noticed, when they started and your family health history. Notes and photos can help.

  2. See a specialist

    Specialists who may be involved include genetic specialists and skin, hair, and nail specialists.

  3. Ask which tests can help

    Your care team will decide which exams and tests can confirm the diagnosis.

Care & treatment

Care team
Genetic specialists (geneticists); Skin, hair, and nail specialists (dermatologists)
Expert care
Ask about multidisciplinary care centers for rare conditions
Treatment
GARD doesn't list specific treatments for this condition. Your care team will tailor care to your symptoms.
Research
Clinical trials and observational studies may be options. See the research section below.

General information, not medical advice. Your care team makes the decisions.

Everyday life

Living with a rare condition is easier with support.

  • Connect with Children's Skin Disease Foundation
  • Keep notes on symptoms, changes and questions for appointments
  • Ask about patient registries that help research
  • Look into financial aid and travel resources for care visits
Bring these questions to your next doctor visit
Do the lumps need to be removed or monitored?
Can genetic testing help confirm this diagnosis?
Could other family members be affected?

Quick facts

InheritanceAutosomal Recessive

Changes in genes cause this condition. It is autosomal recessive, which means a child inherits a changed copy of the gene from each parent. GARD does not name the gene.

GeneticSkin

Also known as: angiolipoma microthromboticum

Patient organizations

Broader rare-disease groups

Source: NIH GARD · Familial angiolipomatosisGARD ID 17089 · GARD page updated September 2026 · Plain-language summary by Know Rare; editorial review pending. General information, not medical advice.

You are more than your diagnosis

Perspectives from people navigating life with Familial angiolipomatosis.

Explore the Familial angiolipomatosis blog

Explore research for Familial angiolipomatosis

Explore actively recruiting Familial angiolipomatosis studies with HealthSpark.

HealthSpark

Find actively recruiting studies for Familial angiolipomatosis with HealthSpark. Share your city to explore research near you.

  • Recruiting studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
  • Share your city to look for research near you
  • Eligibility is confirmed by the study team

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Powered by HealthSpark, our AI chat helper · Study information from ClinicalTrials.gov · Eligibility is confirmed by the study team.

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