Menopausal women have hypofibrinolysis even in subclinical stage of atherosclerosis.

Background: PAI-1 is the main inhibitor of fibrinolysis. Increase in PAI-1 levels has been associated with the risk of coronary disease; however, there are few studies on the relationship between subclinical atherosclerosis and PAI-1 levels.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between PAI-1 level and carotid intima-media thickness in premenopausal and postmenopausal women without apparent cardiovascular disease.