Often dismissed as a cosmetic concern, yellowish deposits under the eyelids – known as xanthelasmas – may offer a visible warning sign of hidden heart disease risk, according too a new study published in *The BMJ*. Researchers followed over 12,700 healthy Danes for 33 years, finding a significant correlation between the presence of xanthelasmas and increased incidence of heart attack and other cardiovascular events. The findings suggest these common, yet often overlooked, skin deposits could become a key focus in proactive cardiovascular health screenings, even for individuals wiht normal cholesterol levels [[1]], [[2]], [[3]].
Cholesterol Deposits Linked to Increased Heart Disease Risk
Yellowish, flat or slightly raised cholesterol deposits on the eyelids, known as xanthelasmas, may signal an increased risk of heart disease, even in individuals with healthy cholesterol levels. While these benign deposits don’t typically cause medical problems themselves, a significant proportion of those affected – roughly one in two – have elevated blood lipid levels. This connection was highlighted in a large Danish study conducted over three decades.
The study, published in The BMJ, found that individuals with xanthelasmas had a demonstrably higher risk of heart attack or other heart disease, regardless of age or gender. This elevated risk persisted even when accounting for established risk factors like obesity, smoking, and high blood pressure. Notably, the presence of xanthelasmas was associated with a higher risk of heart attack even in participants who did not have lipid disorders. These findings suggest xanthelasmas could serve as a visible marker for underlying cardiovascular risk.
Xanthelasmas become more common with age, rarely appearing in young people. Another age-related finding, the arcus senilis – a whitish ring around the cornea of the eye – is also linked to fat deposits, but researchers found no association between arcus senilis and heart disease in this study. Understanding these distinctions is important as both conditions are visible signs of potential health concerns.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark analyzed data from 12,745 participants aged 20 to 93 years. All participants were healthy and free from serious heart conditions at the study’s start in 1976. However, 563 participants were found to have cholesterol deposits on their eyelids. Over the 33-year follow-up period ending in 2009, researchers tracked the incidence of heart disease among the participants. The results offer valuable insight into potential early indicators of cardiovascular problems.
The study’s findings, available with DOI 10.1136/bmj.d5497, underscore the importance of comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment, even in individuals without traditional risk factors. Further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms linking xanthelasmas to heart disease and to determine whether early detection and intervention can improve outcomes.
