CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ASPECTS OF XANTHOMATOSIS

[摘要] Considering the relation between xanthelasma tuberosum multiplex (XTM) and vascular and cardiac atheromatosis, experiments in rabbits were performed to ascertain how far changes in the lipid content of the blood could be considered as a common cause of XTM and atheromatosis of aorta and coronary vessels. The action of I2 compounds on these conditions and on the lipid content of the blood was estimated. By feeding a cholesterol oil mixture to rabbits, not only a considerable increase of cholesterol content of the blood, but also a rise in the phospholipid content and the quotients indicating the relation between cholesterol and its esters to the phospholipids could be caused. A direct correlation between total cholesterol content and the quotient cholesterol esters/phospholipids could be established. I2 administration increased the effect of cholesterol feeding. The individual reaction of the animals differed considerably. The pathological findings included xanthoma formation in the skin, chiefly on artifically irritated places, atheromatosis of the aorta and coronary vessels, liver, adrenal glands and eyes. The relation between severity of involvement of the various organs showed a relation to degree of hyper-cholesterolemia, but could not be explained by blood changes alone. Local and individual causative factors act in addition to the changes in the blood induced by cholesterol feeding.