APA Dictionary of Psychology

n. any of several disorders marked by an accumulation of excess lipids, such as cholesterol, in the body due to a metabolic disturbance. This accumulation leads to the formation of foam cells in skin lesions and other symptoms. These disorders include bulbi xanthomatosis, marked by fatty degeneration of the cornea; Wolman’s disease; hypercholesterolemic xanthomatosis, or Type II hyperlipoproteinemia, associated with accelerated atherosclerosis and premature heart attacks; and normal cholesterolemic xanthomatosis (see Hand–Christian–Schüller syndrome). A related form of xanthomatosis results in cutaneous lesions and other effects in some people with diabetes.