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Arch Ophthalmol. 2002;120:218-220.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Acquired partial lipodystrophy (PLD) is an uncommon disorder of unknown cause, usually affecting women, characterized by the loss of subcutaneous adipose tissue of the upper half of the body, including the face. Persistent low C3 serum levels and normal serum levels of C1q, C4, and C2, the early reacting components of the classic pathway, are frequently found in these patients. The presence in the patient's serum of the C3 nephritic factor, an immunoglobulin G antibody that stabilizes the alternative C3 convertase, suggests C3 activation via the alternative pathway.¹ These complementary abnormalities may occur without renal disease.

Ocular complications of PLD have been described only in case reports. They are characterized by the presence of yellow, drusen-like lesions at the posterior pole and are always associated with type II mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis.^2-4

Report of a Case

A 38-year-old white woman with a 10-year history of progressive facial wasting was referred 36 months earlier to the outpatient . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Comment
Corresponding author and reprints: Pasquale Aragona, MD, PhD, Viale Boccetta 70, I-98122 Messina, Italy (e-mail: p_aragona@hotmail.com).

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