Letters to the Editor: The beneficial effects of allopurinol in cardiology practice: decrease in uric acid and vascular oxidative stress/ The effects of lowering uric acid levels using allopurinol on markers of metabolic syndrome in end-stage renal disease patients: a pilot study

We have read the article of Shemaldine et al. (1) with great interest. They evaluated the effects of allopurinol on lipid parameters in 12 hemodialysis patients with gout and showed low-density lipoprotein (LDL) lowering and triglyceride increasing effects of the treatment. Although there are numerous studies evaluating effects of allopurinol on endothelial function, this trial is the first to show LDL lowering effect of allopurinol. The novel findings of this study are very interesting; however, the very small study population and the lack of the control group are the two major limitations of this trial.