A 50 Year Old Woman Presents With Yellow Bumps All Over Her Body

A 50 Year old Woman who is a known case of Diabetes presents with yellow small bumps all over her body including her eye lids, back and behind the elbows. The lesions are painless but she is concerned. The picture of the lesions on her eyelids and the back of the elbow her shown below:

Her diabetes is not well controlled and on investigations her lipid profile was also abnormal with high cholesterol and triglycerides.

What is the Diagnosis:
Xanthomata


Case Discussion:
Xanthomatosis is a condition in which yellowish fatty deposits occur in various parts of the body. these may appear as nodules or bumps on the skin and are known as Xathomas or Xanthomata. When seen on eyelids the condition is know as xanthalesma.
A Xanthoma by itself is a harmless tissue but it does indicate an underlying disorder like

• Diabetes mellitus
• Disorders of Lipid Metabolism like Hyperlipediemia.
• Familial Hypercholestrolemia
• Renal failure. 
• Primary biliary cirrhosis.
• Chronic biliary obstruction.