Objective: Disturbances in the fibrinolytic system are predictors of future cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to compare plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) activity and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) mass concentration between patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and control subjects.
Design: One hundred thirty-five patients with PCOS (lean and obese) and 81 healthy controls were recruited for the study. Blood samples for PAI-1 activity and tPA mass were collected together with anthropometric measures.
Results: Obese patients with PCOS displayed increased tPA mass concentration in comparison with controls (p <0.05), and this finding was consistent regardless of whether patients displayed signs of hyperandrogenism or not. When hyperandrogenism was introduced as a prerequisite for the PCOS diagnosis, obese patients with PCOS displayed increased PAI-1 activity as well, p <0.05. Lean patients with PCOS did not differ in terms of PAI-1 activity or tPA mass concentration in comparison to controls.
Conclusion: Obese women with PCOS have impaired fibrinolysis, in particular if they also display objective biochemical markers of hyperandrogenism.