International Journal of Cardiology
Volume 111, Issue 3 , Pages 442-449 , 28 August 2006

Elevated troponin level is not synonymous with myocardial infarction

  • Nitin Mahajan

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11219, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +1 347 277 6497.
  • ,
  • Yatin Mehta

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11219, USA
  • ,
  • Malcolm Rose

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11219, USA
  • ,
  • Jacob Shani

      Affiliations

    • Department of Cardiology, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11219, USA
  • ,
  • Edgar Lichstein

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11219, USA

Received 9 May 2005 ,Revised 6 August 2005 ,Accepted 29 August 2005.

References 

  1. Nomenclature and criteria for diagnosis of ischemic heart disease. Report of the Joint International Society and Federation of Cardiology/World Health Organization task force on standardization of clinical nomenclature. Circulation. 1979;59:607–609
  2. Alpert JS, Thygesen K, Antman E, et al. Myocardial infarction redefined — a consensus document of The Joint European Society of Cardiology/American College of Cardiology Committee for the redefinition of myocardial infarction. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2000;36:959–969
  3. Goodman S, Johnson J, Sullivan C, et al. What is an MI? Prospective analysis of the diagnostic and prognostic impact of adding troponins to the definition of myocardial infarction. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001;37:358
  4. Legrand V, Deliege M, Henrard L, et al. Patients with myocardial infarction and normal coronary arteriogram. Chest. 1982;82:678–685
  5. Zimmerman FH, Cameron A, Fisher LD, et al. Myocardial infarction in young adults: angiographic characterization, risk factors and prognosis (Coronary Artery Surgery Study Registry). J Am Coll Cardiol. 1995;26:654–661
  6. Jong P, Mohammed S, Sternberg L. Sex differences in the features of coronary artery disease of patients undergoing coronary angiography. Can J Cardiol. 1996 (Jul.);12(7):671–677
  7. Wagner GS. Recording the electrocardiogram. In:  Williams L, Williams  editor. Marriott's practical electrocardiography. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Co; 2001;p. 10
  8. Adams JE, Davila-Roman VG, Bessey PQ, et al. Improved detection of cardiac contusion with cardiac troponin I. Am Heart J. 1996;131:308–312
  9. Wu AH. Increased troponin in patients with sepsis and septic shock: myocardial necrosis or reversible myocardial depression?. Intensive Care Med. 2001;27:959–961
  10. Narula J, Thaw BA, Dec GW, et al. Brief report: recognition of acute myocarditis masquerading as acute myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med. 1993;328:100–104
  11. Noble J, Bourassa MG, Petitclerc R, et al. Myocardial bridging and milking effect of the left anterior descending coronary artery: normal variant or obstruction?. Am J Cardiol. 1976;37:993–999
  12. La Vecchia L, Mezzena G, Ometto R, et al. Detectable serum troponin I in patients with heart failure of nonmyocardial ischemic origin. Am J Cardiol. 1997;80:88–90
  13. Goldhaber SZ. Treatment of acute pulmonary embolism. In:  Braunwald E,  Goldhaber SZ editor. Atlas of heart disease. Cardiopulmonary diseases and cardiac tumors. vol. 3:Philadelphia, PA: Current Medicine; 1995;
  14. Marcus ML, Doty DB, Hiratzka LF, et al. Decreased coronary reserve: a mechanism for angina pectoris in patients with aortic stenosis and normal coronary arteries. N Engl J Med. 1982;307:1362–1366
  15. Harvey MG, Hancox RJ. Elevation of cardiac troponins in exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Emerg. Med. Australasia. 2004;16:212–215
  16. Auer J, Punzengruber C, Berent R, et al. Elevated cardiac troponin I following heavy-resistance exercise in ostium secundum type-atrial septal defect. Chest. 2001;120:1752–1753
  17. Ammann P, Fehr T, Minder EI, et al. Elevation of troponin I in sepsis and septic shock. Intensive Care Med. 2001;27:965–969
  18. Schifman RB, James SH, Sadrzadeh SMH, et al. Between-assay variation in false positive troponin I measurements in patients on renal dialysis or with positive rheumatoid factor. Clin Chem. 1999;45:A145
  19. Cantwell RV, Aviles RJ, Bjornsson J, et al. Cardiac amyloidosis presenting with elevations of cardiac troponin I and angina pectoris. Clin Cardiol. 2002;25:33–37
  20. Zellweger MJ, Schaer BA, Cron TA, et al. Elevated troponin levels in the absence of coronary artery disease after supraventricular tachycardia. Swiss Med Wkly. 2003;133:439–441
  21. Parekh N, Venkatesh B, Cross D, et al. Cardiac troponin I predicts myocardial dysfunction in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2000;36:1328–1335
  22. National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) . Clinical laboratory procedure manuals. third edition (GP2-A3). 1996;
  23. Wilkinson JM, Grand RJ. Comparison of amino acid sequence of troponin I from different striated muscles. Nature. 1978;271:31–35
  24. Collinson PO, Boa FG, Gaze DC. Measurement of cardiac troponins. Ann Clin Biochem. 2001;38:423–449
  25. Hein S, Scheffold T, Schaper J. Ischemia induces early changes to cytoskeletal and contractile proteins in diseased human myocardium. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1995;110:89–98
  26. Smith SC, Ladenson JH, Mason JW, et al. Elevations of cardiac troponin I associated with myocarditis. Experimental and clinical correlates. Circulation. 1997;95:163–168
  27. Kaye D, Pimental D, Prasad S, et al. Role of transiently altered sarcolemmal membrane permeability and basic fibroblast growth factor release in the hypertrophic response of adult rat ventricular myocytes to increased mechanical activity in vitro. J Clin Invest. 1996;97:281–289
  28. Siciliano M, Mettimano M, Dondolini-Poli A, et al. Troponin I serum concentration: a new marker of left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with essential hypertension. Ital Heart J. 2000;1:532–535
  29. Davies CH, Harding SE, Poole-Wilson PA. Cellular mechanisms of contractile dysfunction in human heart failure. Eur Heart J. 1996;17:189–198
  30. Logeart D, Beyne P, Cusson C, et al. Evidence of cardiac myolysis in severe non ischemic heart failure and the potential role of increased wall strain. Am Heart J. 2001;141:247–253
  31. Horwich TB, Patel J, MacLellan WR, et al. Cardiac troponin I is associated with impaired hemodynamics, progressive left ventricular dysfunction, and increased mortality rates in advanced heart failure. Circulation. 2003;108:833–838
  32. Pruszczyk P, Szulc M, Torbicki A. Troponin levels in acute pulmonary embolism. Chest. 2002;122:2264
  33. Baillard C, Boussarsar M, Fosse JP, et al. Cardiac troponin I in patients with severe exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Intensive Care Med. 2003;29:584–589
  34. Rezkalla SH, Mazza JJ, Kloner RA, et al. Effects of cocaine on human platelets in healthy subjects. Am J Cardiol. 1993;72:243–246
  35. Madu EC, Shala B, Baugh D. Crack cocaine associated aortic dissection in early pregnancy—a case report. Angiology. 1999;50:163–168
  36. Neumayr G, Gaenzer H, Pfister R, et al. Plasma levels of cardiac troponin I after strenuous endurance exercise. Am J Cardiol. 2001;87:369–371
  37. Parrillo JE. Pathogenetic mechanisms of septic shock. N Engl J Med. 1993;328:1471–1477
  38. Kumar A, Thota V, Dee L, et al. Tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin 1beta are responsible for in-vitro myocardial cell depression induced by human septic shock serum. J Exp Med. 1996;183:949–958
  39. Mehta NJ, Khan IA, Gupta V, et al. Cardiac troponin I predicts myocardial dysfunction and adverse outcome in septic shock. Int J Cardiol. 2004;95:13–17
  40. Ammann P, Maggiorini M, Bertel O, et al. Troponin as a risk factor for mortality in critically ill patients without acute coronary syndromes. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003;41:2004–2009
  41. Katwa G, Komatireddy G, Walker SE. False positive elevation of cardiac troponin I in seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol. 2001;28:2750–2751
  42. Dierkes J, Domrose U, Westphal S, et al. Cardiac troponin T predicts mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease. Circulation. 2000;102:1964–1969
  43. Sweterlitsch EM, Murphy GW. Acute electrocardiographic pseudoinfarction pattern in the setting of diabetic ketoacidosis and severe hyperkalemia. Am Heart J. 1996;132:1086–1089
  44. Lopez-Jimenez F, Goldman L, Sacks DB, et al. Prognostic value of cardiac troponin T after non-cardiac surgery: 6 months follow-up data. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2000;36:517–522
  45. Dispenzieri A, Kyle RA, Gertz MA, et al. Survival in patients with primary systemic amyloidosis and raised serum cardiac troponins. Lancet. 2003;361:1787–1789

 Supported in part by Maimonides Research Grant.

☆☆ This is the largest series on retrospective analysis of patients with elevated troponin levels. We believe that this study elucidates the etiology and pathophysiology of elevated cardiac troponin I in patients with normal coronary arteries on angiography. Elevated troponins reflect myonecrosis as a result of imbalance between myocardial oxygen supply and consumption. Acute myocardial infarction is a clinical diagnosis. Elevated troponin levels should be interpreted appropriately based on underlying clinical setting. This study is a retrospective study, and hence did not involve any patient contact. Also, it had the approval of the Internal Review Board.

PII: S0167-5273(05)01162-9

doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2005.08.029

International Journal of Cardiology
Volume 111, Issue 3 , Pages 442-449 , 28 August 2006