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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Xanthelasmata

Eyelids Hold Clue to Heart Disease

By Ed Susman, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today
Published: November 16, 2010
Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston and Dorothy Caputo, MA, RN, BC-ADM, CDE, Nurse Planner

Action Points  
  • Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
  • Explain that a large Danish study found an increased risk of myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, and death in patients with xanthelasmata followed for 33 years.
  • Note that the investigators conclude that xanthelasmata may be cutaneous manifestations of atherosclerosis and do not necessarily correlate with hypercholesterolemia.
CHICAGO -- Looking a patient square in the eye appears to give doctors an insight into the health of the patient's heart.
Researchers here said that patients who exhibit xanthelasmata -- cholesterol deposits on the eyelids -- are at significant increased risk of heart attacks, ischemic heart disease, and death.
In a massive observational, prospective study that spanned 33 years, researchers in Denmark found that when these yellowish lesions are observed, the risk of suffering a heart attack is increased 51% (P<0.001); the risk of suffering ischemic heart disease was increased 40% (P<0.0001); and the risk of death was increased 17% (P<0.0001) when compared with individuals who did not exhibit xanthelasmata.
"The prevalence of xanthelasmata in our study is 4.4%, which corresponds to 572 individuals presenting with xanthelasmata at baseline," said Mette Christoffersen, PharmD, and a PhD candidate at Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen Hospital, Denmark.

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