This OMIM (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man) site uses some very limited research (2 papers dealing with 3 families) to conclude that this may be an inherited illness.
Conditions and Diseases: Skin Disorders: Dercum Disease: OMIM Entry for Adiposis Dolorosa (Dercum's Disease)
OMIM Entry for Adiposis Dolorosa (Dercum's Disease)
This OMIM (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man) site uses some very limited research (2 papers dealing with 3 families) to conclude that this may be an inherited illness.