What does lipidosis mean?
Lipidosis is a medical term for the abnormal buildup of fat within cells or tissues when the body's normal handling of lipids is disturbed. It most commonly refers to the liver, where excessive fat accumulation is associated with conditions such as obesity, alcohol-related injury, diabetes, and severe malnutrition. The word is also used for comparable abnormalities involving the kidneys and other organs. In clinical language, lipidosis emphasizes the pathological process rather than merely the presence of body fat. It differs from steatosis in scope: steatosis is specifically the accumulation of fat in the liver, while lipidosis can refer more broadly to fatty accumulation in tissues throughout the body. The term is consequently most useful in medical diagnosis, pathology, and research, where precision about the affected organ and underlying mechanism matters.
nounThe abnormal accumulation of fat in cells or tissues, especially in the liver, as a result of disturbed lipid metabolism. The term is also used more broadly for disorders characterized by excessive tissue fat accumulation.
- Abnormal accumulation of fat in cells or tissues, especially the liver, resulting from disturbed lipid metabolism.
"The diagnosis revealed hepatic lipidosis associated with severe malnutrition."
"The biopsy confirmed hepatic lipidosis."
"Researchers are studying genetic conditions that cause lipidosis in several organs."
The plural is used when referring to distinct forms or cases of lipidosis.
"The study compared several lipidoses affecting different organs."
Lipidosis turns a diagnostic label into a warning sign: sometimes the body's own fat-storage machinery can become the problem.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lipidosis come from?
The word was formed in the 19th century from Greek lip-, meaning “fat,” and the suffix -osis, used in medical terminology to denote a condition or abnormal process. Its components parallel the broader scientific family based on Greek lipos, “fat,” including lipid, lipogenesis, and lipolysis.
How lipidosis is actually used
This is a medical term, used chiefly in clinical and scientific contexts. In contemporary clinical usage it most often refers to fatty liver, but the broader sense can apply to other organs.
Easily confused with lipidosis
Steatosis specifically refers to the accumulation of fat in the liver, whereas lipidosis is a more general term for abnormal fat accumulation in cells or tissues and can involve other organs.