The disorders are extremely rare, with congenital lipodystrophy affecting roughly one in 12.5 million people, and familial partial lipodystrophy affecting roughly one in 25 million. Individuals with congenital lipodystrophy are born with almost no body fat. Those with FPLD lose subcutaneous fat from their extremities and trunk at the onset of puberty, but gain excess fat in the head, neck and abdomen. The location of the gene that causes FPLD was found to be on chromosome 1.
Studies are underway to find the location of the gene that causes congenital lipodystrophy.