Levels of thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor in gestational diabetes mellitus.

Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) is a procarboxypeptidase, which is synthesised in liver and activated by thrombin and the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex. TAFI suppresses fibrinolysis by removing carboxy-terminal lysine residues from partially degraded fibrin. In this study we aimed to assess the circulating levels of TAFI antigen, 'a fibrinolytic parameter' in women with gestational diabetes (GDM). Thirty-four pregnant women with GDM and 50 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance were included in the study. Plasma TAFI antigen levels were significantly higher in pregnant women with GDM when compared with controls. Increased TAFI levels may contribute to the decreased fibrinolytic potency, causing a thrombophilic state. GDM is regarded as a specific form of diabetes, and it could in addition be a predictor of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the future and the risk of complications due to hypercoagulability increases in this disease. Increased TAFI levels may also have a role in increased risk of hypercoagulability.