Interrelationships between plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor, tissue plasminogen activator, lipoprotein (a), and established cardiovascular risk factors in a north Swedish population.

Serum lipids, lipoprotein (a), plasminogen activator inhibitor and tissue plasminogen activator levels were measured in 260 subjects, constituting a cross-section sample of 30-60-year-old men and women. For Lp(a), there were positive correlations with age and cholesterol, but not with any of other measured parameters. Triglyceride, cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol (inversely) levels were associated with waist-to-hip girth circumference ratio: this variable remained significant in a multiple regression model. PAI-1 activity and tPA antigen levels were positively associated with triglycerides and inversely associated with HDL-cholesterol. Moreover, tPA antigen was positively related to total cholesterol level. In multiple regression analysis, however, only triglycerides were found to contribute significantly to the variance of tPA antigen and PAI-1 activity levels, when BMI (in men) and abdominal skinfold thickness (in women) were entered into the model. Insulin or glucose postload responses to an OGTT were not independently related to any lipid or fibrinolytic variable. These data demonstrate the importance of anthropometric variables both for fibrinolytic variables and traditional lipid risk factors. Only Lp(a) was found to be largely unrelated to the endocrine-metabolic and anthropometric variables.