Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor activity and global fibrinolytic capacity in Type 1 diabetes : Evidence for normal fibrinolytic state

Hypofibrinolysis is a state that is commonly observed in type 2 diabetic patients, a finding also possibly related to obesity and insulin resistance. There is little information, however, regarding the status of fibrinolytic system in Type 1 diabetes, in particular as reflected by thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) activity and global fibrinolytic capacity (GFC). To provide information in this respect, 30 Type 1 diabetic patients (median age=16) and 28 healthy controls (median age=14) were enrolled in this study. The median duration of diabetes was 7 years, and median HbA1c was 8.85% (range: 5.5–11.9%) in the diabetic group. None of the patients had macrovascular complications. Microvascular complications were present in a total of eight patients (nephropathy: n=5; retinopathy: n=3). A comparison of the TAFI activity between the patient (median 84.9, range: 71.5–103.3%) and the control groups (median=83.3, range: 63.7–97.4%) yielded no statistically significant difference (P=.950). Similarly, GFC was comparable between the two groups (median=8.22, range: 0.72–22.38 μg/ml, and median=13.32, range: 3.0–23.22 μg/ml, respectively, in the diabetic and control groups, P=.086). TAFI activity did not significantly correlate with age, albumin excretion, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, D-dimer, and fibrinogen by Spearman rank correlation test. There was as a significant inverse correlation between GFC and TAFI activity (r=−.414, P=.006). Contrary to the previous observations in Type 2 diabetes, our data suggest that fibrinolytic activity is not adversely affected by Type 1 diabetes, and it has no relationship with the degree of metabolic control.