High-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays : laboratory and clinical aspects

An acute heart infarct is the main cause of death within cardiovascular diseases. Its diagnosis has recently improved by a new high-sensitive measuring method for heart-specific protein (troponin) in blood. Moreover, the improved precision in the low measuring range has enabled predicting the cardiac risk for the future. In heart patients and patients with terminal kidney failure troponin turns out to be predictive for the development of a heart infarct. In endurance sportsmen training lowers the increase in troponin concentration directly after intensive exertion, and thus the risk. Each measurable troponin concentration appears therefore associated with cardiovascular diseases, and the rule is: the lower the better.