Those raised yellow patches around the eyes and eyelids that some people get may be more than unsightly. A new study has found they are a good predictor of heart disease, heart attack, and death.

The patches, called xanthelasma, contain cholesterol. In a study recently published in the British Medical Journal, men between the ages of 70 and 79 with xanthelasma had a 12 percent greater risk of heart disease than men without them, msnbc.com reports. Women of the same age had an 8 percent higher risk.

The findings were based on a survey of 12,745 people participating in the Copenhagen City Heart Study over a period of 33 years. Danish researchers discovered that people with xanthelasma have a higher risk of heart disease and dying from a heart attack regardless of their cholesterol levels.

The findings are significant because the yellow patches are mainly treated as a cosmetic problem, with patients seeking dermatologists to remove them.

“Some of these people may not have been managed according to their increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” the authors wrote.

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