Heart Health
Eyelids as windows into the heart
People who develop yellow bumps on their eyelids often visit a dermatologist to get them removed. They may want to see a cardiologist as well.
A large study on this topic generated a lot of interest at the American Heart Association's annual meeting. Danish researchers found that folks diagnosed with xanthelasmata were 40% more likely than their fellow Danes to develop heart disease — and 51% more likely to have a heart attack — even after the researchers took established cardiac risk factors into account. In a surprise, half of the people who developed one or more xanthelasma had normal cholesterol levels, suggesting that these skin lesions might indeed be an independent sign of heart disease. But this preliminary research has to be confirmed before doctors will know for sure.
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