Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 gene 4G/5G polymorphism in Turkish children with asthma and allergic rhinitis.

Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) has an essential role in tissue remodeling after inflammation. Recent literature revealed only one study evaluating PAI-1 4G/5G gene polymorphism in children with asthma and none in children with allergic rhinitis. We aimed to investigate distribution of PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism in a group of Turkish children with asthma and allergic rhinitis and compare these findings with those obtained in normal peers. Patients with physician-diagnosed asthma (n = 106) and allergic rhinitis (n = 99) and 83 healthy peers were included in this study. We evaluated PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism genotype as well as the possible association between PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism and pulmonary function tests, serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE), total eosinophil count, and skin-prick test positivity in our study. The prevalence of the 4G allele significantly exceeded the values found in the controls both in patients with asthma (p = 0.001) and in patients with allergic rhinitis (p = 0.002). Interestingly, comparison of asthmatic patients revealed that mean baseline percent forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity were significantly higher in patients who bear 5G/5G genotype than in those who have 4G/4G or 4G/5G genotypes. No statistically significant relationship were found between PAI-1 polymorphism and total serum IgE levels, total eosinophil count, or selected skin test responses to aeroallergens. Our study suggests that Turkish children with asthma or allergic rhinitis have a higher prevalence of PAI-1 4G allele compared with their healthy peers.