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Xanthelasma — SCE Dermatology MCQ

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HardInflammatory DermatosesXanthelasmaSCE Dermatology

A patient with xanthelasma has a normal fasting lipid profile and no cardiovascular symptoms. How should cardiovascular prevention be approached?

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Correct answer: CUse standard cardiovascular risk assessment rather than xanthelasma alone

The best answer is “Use standard cardiovascular risk assessment rather than xanthelasma alone”. Xanthelasma should prompt a lipid profile and ordinary validated cardiovascular-risk assessment, but it does not independently create a treatment indication when contemporary risk factors are otherwise reassuring. The alternatives “Calculate validated risk and start a statin when the threshold is met”, “Assess blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and family history alongside lipids”, “Offer lifestyle prevention according to the overall modifiable-risk profile”, “Reassess if symptoms or cardiovascular risk factors subsequently change” are clinically adjacent possibilities, but they do not fit the defining morphology, distribution, histopathology, risk signal or management sequence in this stem.

Reference: British Association of Dermatologists clinical resources: https://www.bad.org.uk/