To the Editor.—
We have read with interest the article by Gómez et al1 about the relationship between lipid metabolism abnormalities and xanthelasma. In their study, the lipoprotein profile found in subjects with xanthelasma does not explain their predisposition to the dermal lipid deposits, and, curiously, lower levels of the atherogenic apoprotein B were observed with respect to a control group.We have actually studied lipid metabolism in 96 subjects with xanthelasma (age, 52.3 ± 11.4 years; 25 male, 71 female) and in 104 healthy control subjects (age, 50.7 ± 10.6 years; 56 male, 48 female). The design of our study differs mainly in the selection of control subjects that were included on the basis of the absence of xanthelasma, but not of plasma lipid values as stated by Gómez. As can be seen in the Table, subjects with xanthelasma of both sexes had total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and