Xanthome is the appearance of small high relief lesions on the skin, formed by fats that can appear anywhere on the body, but mainly in tendons, skin, hands, feet, buttocks and knees.
The onset of xanthome is more common in people who have very high cholesterol or triglycerides, although it can also occur in people who do not have changes in cholesterol.
- The presence of xanthoma is usually a sign of more circulating cholesterol.
- Which causes macrophages.
- Which are immune system cells.
- To encompass fat cells.
- To become sparkling macrophages and settle in the body.
- Tissue.
- Therefore.
- Xanthoma is not a disease.
- But a symptom associated with a defect in the metabolism of fats and proteins that carry cholesterol in the body.
The formation of xanthomos is more common in people who have bad lifestyle habits, that is, who have a high-fat diet and are sedentary, which promotes the accumulation of cholesterol and triglycerides; however, xanthome can also occur as a result of other diseases, such as decompensation. diabetes, biliary cirrhosis or liver failure.
Depending on their characteristics and location, xanthomos can be categorized as:
There is also another form of xanthome, which is gastric xanthome, in which fat lesions form in the stomach and which normally does not cause symptoms, being identified in endoscopy or gastric surgery for other reasons, this type of xanthome is rare and its cause is not known accurately.
Xanthelasma is a type of xanthymus in which flat, yellowish plates and lesions are found in the eyes, especially in the eyelids, usually symmetrically. The presence of xantlasma is not contagious, as it is a response of the body to the highest amount of circulating cholesterol, and is more common in adults who have disorders of fat metabolism.
Although not a risk, xantlasma can cause discomfort in the person due to the visibility of the lesions, so they require the removal of xantlasma, which is performed by surgery or by techniques that destroy xantlasma, such as with acids, lasers or electrocoagulation, for example.
Diagnosis of xanthome is clinical, i. e. performed by a dermatologist or GP by evaluating the characteristics of xanthomas, in some cases a blood test may also be indicated to check the amount of circulating cholesterol and triglycerides.
If the person with xanthomas has excess cholesterol or triglycerides detected in the blood test, your doctor will tell you a treatment to control these levels, with medications called hypolipidemias, such as simvastatin, atorvastatin, and fibrates, such as phenofibrate or bezafibrate, for example. In addition, procedures may be performed to remove fatty deposits, which should be performed by the dermatologist, such as:
It is also very important to carry out the treatment and control of other diseases associated with changes in metabolism and formation of xanthomas, such as diabetes, liver cancer, hypothyroidism or kidney disease.
Gastric xanthomas or gastric xanthélasma are yellowish bags of cholesterol or lipids, with slightly irregular contours, 1 to 2 mm, located in the stomach, to treat this type of xanthomas it is necessary to undergo endoscopy and biopsy tests, and if the signs Exclude cases of stomach cancer, this is usually a benign situation, and the behavior should be a benign observation, and the behavior should be a benign observation, and the behavior should be a benign observation, and the behavior should be a benign observation, and the behavior should be a benign observation, and the behavior should be a benign observation, and the behavior should be a benign observation , that is, it must be monitored frequently to see how the problem evolves.
However, if there is a risk of cancer formation or signs of worsening xanthome, your doctor may guide your withdrawal, a procedure performed by endoscopy.