title: Childhood obesity: evidence of an association between plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels and visceral adiposity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) has been considered as a cardiovascular risk factor, mainly because of its strong association with insulin resistance.
  
  
  METHODS
  To detect independent predictors of circulating PAI-1 levels in obese pediatric patients, we evaluated 86 subjects (mean age 10.7 +/- 2.8 years), 42 of whom were male (49%). Subjects were divided in two groups according to body mass index (BMI): obese subjects (n=61) and healthy non-obese controls (n=25). They were also divided by pubertal status. Besides anthropometric data, levels of PAI-1, leptin and biochemical markers of metabolic syndrome were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The obese group had higher levels of PAI-1, leptin and biochemical markers of metabolic syndrome than nonobese controls (p<0.05). However, multivariate regression analysis showed that only puberty progression (p=0.005) and abdominal circumference/height index (p=0.002) remained independent predictors of PAI-1 levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In pediatric obesity, fat mass accumulation, mainly of visceral fat, and puberty progression were related to high PAI-1 levels, which might in turn contribute to cardiovascular risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Mantovani
authors.forename: Danyelle R A
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Rios
authors.forename: Letícia C R
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Moura
authors.forename: Juliana M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Flávia F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Sarah B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.forename: Maria de Fátima S
authors.initials: Mde F
authors.lastname: Viana
authors.forename: Joel A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lamounier
authors.forename: Juni C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Luci Maria S
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Dusse
authors.forename: Ana Cristina
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Simões e Silva
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000097:blood*; D011627:Puberty / Q000097:blood; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D007328:Insulin; D020738:Leptin; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; C051321:SERPINE1 protein, human; D014280:Triglycerides