Plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 is an independent marker of metabolic disorders in young adults born small for gestational age.

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (MS) has been associated with being born small for gestational age (SGA). In epidemiological studies plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) levels have been associated with MS. Few studies have examined this association in subjects born SGA. Five hundred and fifty-seven SGA adults (birth weight < 10th percentile) were compared with 671 subjects with a birth weight between the 25th and 75th percentiles (control group). MS was defined using the World Health Organization (WHO) definition. Active PAI-1 was measured on citrated plasma with bio-immunoassay. MS was more prevalent in the SGA group (8.7%) than in the control group (5.5%; P = 0.03). In both groups, PAI-1 concentrations were significantly correlated with waist circumference, plasma triglycerides, homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and associated with male sex and MS. PAI-1 concentrations were significantly increased in the SGA group (12.2 ± 21.2 vs. 10.0 ± 13.5 IU mL⁻¹, P = 0.03) and this remained after adjustment of metabolic variables (P = 0.009). PAI-1 concentrations above 4.9 IU mL⁻¹ (= median of PAI-1 concentration in the control group) were present in 94% of the subjects with MS. Moreover, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for having elevated PAI-1 was 1.48 (1.08; 1.95) in the SGA group in comparison with the control group (P = 0.005). PAI-1 plasma concentrations were significantly increased in SGA subjects independently of MS. These data suggest that elevation of PAI-1 concentrations might be an indication of an abnormal secretion at the level of the adipose tissue, endothelial cells or liver and implicated in metabolic disorders reported in SGA subjects.