Abstract:Objective To investigate the relationship between plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene polymorphisms (4G/5G) and cerebral infarction (CI) in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN).Methods Data from 149 DN patients admitted between January 2020 and December 2023 were reviewed: 68 with CI (CI group) and 81 without CI (non-CI group). PAI-1 4G/5G genotype and allele frequencies were determined. Clinical and laboratory data were compared. Multivariate logistic regression identified CI risk factors. ROC analysis evaluated the predictive value of PAI-1 polymorphisms alone and combined with other factors.Results Genotype (4G/4G, 4G/5G, 5G/5G) and allele (4G, 5G) distributions differed significantly between groups (P < 0.05). The CI group had a higher frequency of the 4G/4G genotype and 4G allele (P < 0.05). The CI group had longer dialysis vintage, higher TC, LDL-C, fibrinogen, homocysteine levels, and lower urea clearance index (Kt/V) (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified 4G/4G genotype [O^R = 5.859 (95% CI: 2.003, 17.142) ], longer dialysis vintage [O^R = 4.545 (95% CI: 1.870, 11.046) ], and high LDL-C [O^R = 3.951 (95% CI: 1.626, 9.603) ] as independent risk factors for CI. ROC analysis showed sensitivities for dialysis vintage, LDL-C, PAI-1 polymorphism, and their combination predicting CI were 77.78% (95% CI: 0.676, 0.853), 87.65% (95% CI: 0.782, 0.921), 85.19% (95% CI: 0.750, 0.921), and 92.59% (95% CI: 0.853, 0.964), respectively. Specificities were 75.00% (95% CI: 0.647, 0.833), 70.59% (95% CI: 0.600, 0.800), 67.65% (95% CI: 0.562, 0.781), and 85.29% (95% CI: 0.765, 0.914), respectively. AUCs were 0.810 (95% CI: 0.740, 0.880), 0.853 (95% CI: 0.790, 0.916), 0.764 (95% CI: 0.684, 0.844), and 0.939 (95% CI: 0.900, 0.978), respectively.Conclusion The PAI-1 4G/4G genotype, dialysis vintage, and LDL-C are associated with CI in DN patients. Their combination demonstrates excellent predictive performance.