FYI: The Patches On Your Eyelids Can Be A Sign Of Heart Disease

As people age, symptoms of illnesses start to appear. Sometimes it may be too subtle to detect, but you can monitor your health by being aware of your body inside and out.

One example is the raised yellow patches over your upper or lower eyelids, close to the inner part of the eye. It may seem like an ordinary skin tag but that means more than what it appears to be.

According to a 2011 study published in the British Medical Journal, there is a possible link between those yellow marks and heart disease.

The yellow patches are called xanthelasmata or xanthelasma palpebrarum. It is believed to be deposits of cholesterol which is higher than the average cholesterol level. The skin plaques appear in both men and women above the age of 40. Since the marks do not hinder the person’s vision, others just ignore it while some chooses to have it removed.

Xanthelasma

By Klaus D. Peter, Gummersbach, Germany (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 de], via Wikimedia Commons

The good news is it can be removed. The bad news, it is just temporary, because the patches will show again.

A study made by a research team called Copenhagen City Heart Study proved that xanthelasmata and heart disease has a correlation.

Almost 12,745 people aged 20 to 93 years who were free of ischemic heart illness participated in the study. Both male and female participants with yellow marks on their eyelids were discovered to have a higher risk of heart attack or worse death within a 10-year period.

Another research revealed men aged 70-79 years old are more likely to suffer from heart disease and the presence of xanthelasmata increases the chances by 12% while women with yellow markings have 8% risk

It was therefore concluded in the said study that xanthelasmata is a symptom connecting to heart attack, severe atherosclerosis, and ischemic heart disease, and death.

If you notice you have the yellow patches on your eyelids, better have it as well as your plasma lipid levels checked before it’s too late.

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