Sep 11, 2026 12:20 PM
(This post was last modified: Sep 11, 2026 12:36 PM by C C.)
A Warning Sign of Heart Attack And Stroke May Show Up on Your Face
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-warning-s...-your-face
EXCERPTS: Atherosclerosis, the accumulation of fatty plaques in the arteries that causes restricted blood flow, is responsible for most heart attacks and strokes – but it often builds up slowly and silently, without symptoms, before causing a major medical emergency.
That's why researchers are looking for warning signs of atherosclerosis that might help doctors spot it earlier. A new study, published in Atherosclerosis, looks at a condition called xanthelasma, where yellow patches appear around the eyes.
Those patches puff up when immune cells called macrophages get stuffed with cholesterol and other fats. The condition is often (but not always) associated with higher cholesterol in the blood, too. As fatty clumps also play a role in atherosclerosis, researchers at Stanford University thought there might be a link.
[...] While the pale, puffy patches that characterize xanthelasma are seen as harmless in themselves, the findings are more evidence that they could signify something else, and perhaps future cardiovascular problems.
"Our study suggests that xanthelasma can be considered as a risk factor for future MACCEs," write the researchers.
"Most of the patients with xanthelasma are seen by dermatologists for cosmetic reasons, while they may have undiagnosed or uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors that contribute to this elevated risk."
There's no suggestion that the eyelid patches themselves are causing heart attacks or strokes, but the researchers suggest that in future, people with xanthelasma could be screened for any early heart health problems... (MORE - missing details)
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-warning-s...-your-face
EXCERPTS: Atherosclerosis, the accumulation of fatty plaques in the arteries that causes restricted blood flow, is responsible for most heart attacks and strokes – but it often builds up slowly and silently, without symptoms, before causing a major medical emergency.
That's why researchers are looking for warning signs of atherosclerosis that might help doctors spot it earlier. A new study, published in Atherosclerosis, looks at a condition called xanthelasma, where yellow patches appear around the eyes.
Those patches puff up when immune cells called macrophages get stuffed with cholesterol and other fats. The condition is often (but not always) associated with higher cholesterol in the blood, too. As fatty clumps also play a role in atherosclerosis, researchers at Stanford University thought there might be a link.
[...] While the pale, puffy patches that characterize xanthelasma are seen as harmless in themselves, the findings are more evidence that they could signify something else, and perhaps future cardiovascular problems.
"Our study suggests that xanthelasma can be considered as a risk factor for future MACCEs," write the researchers.
"Most of the patients with xanthelasma are seen by dermatologists for cosmetic reasons, while they may have undiagnosed or uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors that contribute to this elevated risk."
There's no suggestion that the eyelid patches themselves are causing heart attacks or strokes, but the researchers suggest that in future, people with xanthelasma could be screened for any early heart health problems... (MORE - missing details)