Iron contributes to endothelial dysfunction in acute ischemic syndromes.

Acute Ischemic Syndromes To the Editor: Congratulations to Duffy et al1 on their well-written article, “Iron Chelation Improves Endothelial Function in Patients With Coronary Disease.” We completely agree that increased body iron stores may be a risk factor for atherosclerosis and may accelerate endothelial dysfunction in acute ischemic syndromes. Hence, deferoxamine, an iron chelator, should prove useful both for preventing ischemia and improving endothelial function. Our investigations into the efficacy of deferoxamine in acute ischemic syndromes and as a possible treatment for atherosclerosis, performed over the past 5 years, yielded the following corroborative findings: