Letter by Ryan et al Regarding Article, “Do Hemochromatosis Mutations Protect Against Iron-Mediated Atherogenesis?”

To the Editor:The presence of iron within atheromatous plaques is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The “hemochromatosis paradox,” as referred to in the recent article by Sullivan,1 originates from the observation that despite significant iron overload, patients with hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) are not at increased risk for atherosclerosis. A number of reasons for this have been proposed, not least is the finding of favorable lipid profiles in C282Y homozygotes compared with wild-type controls.2The …