Relationship Between Xanthelasma Palpebrarum and Hyperlipidemia

BACKGROUND: Xanthelasma palpebrarum is a common periorbital lesion that occurs in middle-aged woman. Dyslipidemia was strongly associated with the occurrence of xanthelasma. Different treatment methods for xanthelasma were applied with comparable results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review series performed at a single institute. The surgical pathology of 69 patients who received surgical excision from 1994 to 2012 was obtained. In addition, International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code of xanthelasma (374.51) of 44 patients who underwent nonsurgical treatment at an outpatient department was acquired from 2006 to 2012. The serum lipid levels, comorbidities, recurrence, and treatment methods were obtained and analyzed with Statistical Analysis System (SAS) 9.4. RESULTS: Of a total of 113 identified patients, 50 had lipid profile data. Of these 50 patients, 25 (50%) had dyslipidemia, which is higher than general population in Taiwan. The recurrence rate was 17.5%, and there was no statistical difference in the recurrence rate between the different treatment methods. CONCLUSIONS: Xanthelasma was found to be associated with dyslipidemia. Thus, we recommend patients with xanthelasma to check their lipid profile and receive diet control and lipid-lowering medications for lipid abnormalities.