To the Editor.—
Etretinate has been shown to be effective in severe types of psoriasis.1 Dietary fish oils, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, have been reported to reduce plasma lipid levels in both normolipidemic and hyperlipidemic subjects.2 The effects of fish oil on serum lipids in 11 psoriatic patients with drug-induced hyperlipidemia from etretinate (aromatic retinoid) therapy were investigated (Table). These patients received 3 g of omega-3 fatty acids (1.8 g of eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA 20:5w3; 1.2 g of docosahexaenoic acid, DHA 22:6w3; Pharmavite, Los Angeles) and continued to consume their normal diet for four weeks. The fish oil supplementation led to a significant decrease in mean plasma triglyceride concentration from 3.31 ± 1.64 mmol/L (293 ± 145 mg/dL) (SD) to 2.32 ± 1.14 mmol/L (206 ± 101 mg/ dL) (-30%, P <.001), and a significant increase in both high-density lipoprotein cholesterol from 1.01 ± 0.28