Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels in prior gestational diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Conflicting results on the association of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) with prior gestational diabetes mellitus (pGDM) have been observed among studies that imply the need to perform a meta-analysis.

Literature that determined the levels of PAI-1 in patients with pGDM and non-GDM was retrieved from various database websites. Relevant data were extracted from each study and collated. For the data analysis, Review Manager ver. 5.4 was used. The studies were pooled to compute the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) between pGDM and non-GDM groups.

Overall results were heterogeneous, which prompted the identification of the cause using a Galbraith plot. Post-outlier outcomes demonstrate that higher levels of PAI-1 are observed among women with pGDM than those with no history of the disease.

PAI-1 is significantly associated with GDM, especially among patients with pGDM. Further studies should be conducted on the relation of serum PAI-1 with other diabetes-related markers and variables to verify these findings.