Abstract
Introduction: High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and I (hs-cTnI) are strongly associated with incident heart failure (HF) and left ventricular (LV) remodeling. Their associations with longitudinal changes in cardiac structure and function are less clear. Methods: Among 1,908 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study who were free of coronary disease, HF, or atrial fibrillation and had echocardiography at study Visits 5 (2011-2013) and 7 (2017-2019), we assessed the associations of log-transformed hs-cTnT and hs-cTnI at Visit 5 with absolute changes in LV structure and function between Visit 5 and 7 (median of 6.6 [IQR 6.1-7.0] years) using multivariable linear regression with the exposures modeled as restricted cubic spline models. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race, BMI, diabetes, hypertension and eGFR at Visit 5, blood pressure and heart rate at both visits. Results: At Visit 5, the mean age (years) was 74 (SD 4), 60% were female, 24% reported Black race and the median (p25-p75) concentrations of hs-cTnT and hs-cTnI were 9 (6-13) ng/L and 2.7 (1.9-4.0) ng/L respectively. In adjusted models, higher hs-cTnI concentration was associated with 7-year decline in LV systolic function (ejection fraction, global longitudinal and circumferential strain; Figure ). In contrast, hs-cTnT was not consistently associated with changes in cardiac function. Changes in hs-cTnI, but not hs-cTnT, were also associated with greater increases in left atrial volume. Neither were associated with changes in LV mass or volume. Conclusions: Higher hs-cTnI, but not hs-cTnT, concentrations are associated with greater declines in LV function over ~7 years in late life independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. These findings support previous findings of cTnI to be more cardiac specific than cTnT.
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