MY APPROACH to Low-Level Troponin Elevations

Cardiac troponin (cTn) I and T complement clinical assessment and the ECG in the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). cTns are structural proteins unique to the heart. cTn levels in peripheral blood are quantitative markers of cardiomyocyte damage. Thereby, cTns are organ-specific, but not disease-specific, markers. Although AMI is a very important cause of cardiomyocyte damage, and clearly the dominant one in patients presenting with acute chest pain and substantial cTn elevations (eg, 50 times the 99th percentile), multiple other acute and chronic disorders seem to lead to cardiomyocyte damage that can be detected using modern cTn assays.
Source: Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research