Determinants of High-Sensitivity Troponin T Among Patients with a Noncardiac Cause of Chest Pain

Abstract Background It is unknown to what extent noncardiac causes, including renal dysfunction, may contribute to high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T levels. Methods In an observational international multicenter study, we enrolled consecutive patients presenting with acute chest pain to the emergency department. Of 1181 patients enrolled, 572 were adjudicated by 2 independent cardiologists to have a noncardiac cause of chest pain. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine the important predictors of log-transformed high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T. Kaplan-Meier curve was used to assess the prognostic significance of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T > 0.014 μg/L (99th percentile). Results A total of 88 patients (15%) had high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T > 0.014 μg/L. Less than 50% of cardiac troponins could be explained by known cardiac or noncardiac diseases. In decreasing order of importance, age, estimated glomerular filtration rate, hypertension, previous myocardial infarction, and chronic kidney disease (adjusted r 2 0.44) emerged as significant factors in linear regression analysis to predict high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T. High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T was best explained by a linear curve with age as ≤ 0.014 μg/L. Patients with high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T levels > 0.014 μg/L were at increased risk for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 3.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.8-10.6; P =. 02) during follow-up. Conclusion Among the known covariates, age and not renal dysfunction is the most important determinant of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T. Because known cardiac and noncardiac factors, including renal dysfunction, explain less than 50% of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T levels among patients with a noncardiac cause of chest pain, unknown or underestimated cardiac involvement during the acute presenting condition seems to be the major cause of elevated high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T.