Ergül M., Çiçek Y., Özyıldız A. G., Saydam F., Ergül E.
International Journal of Translational Medicine, cilt.6, sa.3, ss.1-11, 2026 (Scopus)
Özet
Background: Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is characterized by either diffuse or segmental enlargement of the coronary artery, with a diameter that exceeds 1.5 times that of the adjacent normal vessel. The underlying causes of CAE remain inadequately understood. Higher plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) concentrations have been related to aortic aneurysms, possibly resulting from occlusion of vasa vasorum, followed by diminished vessel wall supply. Whether the same process has a role in CAE is not known. This research seeks to ascertain if a correlation exists between polymorphisms of the PAI-1 gene and the occurrence of CAE. Methods: Fifty-three patients with CAE and 52 patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries were included. The PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism was genotyped by real-time PCR, using melting curve analysis of LightCycler 480 II. Results: Genotype distributions in both groups were consistent with Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (p = 1.00). The frequencies of the 4G/4G, 4G/5G, and 5G/5G genotypes did not differ significantly between patients with CAE and controls. Similarly, allele frequencies of the 4G and 5G variants were comparable between the two groups, and no statistically significant association was observed between the PAI-1 −675 4G/5G polymorphism and the presence of CAE (all p > 0.05). In the allele-dose sensitivity analysis, the number of 4G alleles was not independently associated with CAE (adjusted OR per 4G allele: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.37–1.82; p = 0.626). After adjustment for age, sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, body mass index, and smoking status, the PAI-1 genotype was not independently associated with CAE (overall likelihood-ratio test: p = 0.867). Conclusions: No independent association was detected between the PAI-1 −675 4G/5G polymorphism and CAE; however, smaller genetic effects cannot be excluded because of the modest sample size and wide confidence intervals.