Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk factors, physical activity (PA) and plasma plasminogen (Plg) in a random sample of community-dwelling elderly

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between plasma Plg levels and coexisting CVD risk factors, comorbidities, PA, functional status and cognitive function in a random sample of 298 (179 women and 119 men) community-dwelling elderly aged 65–79 years. The average plasma Plg level was 91.4 ± 19.7% and was lower in men (86.6 ± 20.7%) than in women (94.6 ± 18.5%). In women, Plg levels were higher in individuals with diagnosed ischemic heart disease (IHD) and increased with triglycerides (TG) and glucose level. In men, Plg levels decreased with advancing age, were higher in current smokers, decreased with the percentage of body fat, increased with total cholesterol (T-CH), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-CH) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-CH) levels, and were directly correlated with two different PA indices. Multivariate analysis revealed that gender, current smoking, IHD, T-CH and the Seven Day Recall PA Questionnaire Hard score independently predict plasma Plg levels in the whole group of elderly people. In conclusion, Plg seems to be directly related to CVD and metabolic risk profile as well as PA level but not to functional status or cognitive function of older individuals.