Tropnin I as a serum marker of cardiac damage in essential hypertension

Abstract

Cardiac damage in hypertension is currently evaluated by means of instrumental methods, whereas laboratory data are commonly considered unable adding significant informations in this field. In order to assess if troponin I serum concentrations may better define some hypertensive patients with proven cardiac damage, we measured, this protein in a group of 27 hypertensives with echo left ventricular hypertrophy, and in a group of 10 normal controls. All the patients underwent a complete clinical and laboratory evaluation, and 24 hours Holter ecg. Four patients with Holter evidence ST segment abnormalities were excluded from the study. The troponin I values in the remaining 23 patients affected by hypertension with left ventricular hypertrophy range between 0,2 ng/ml and 3,6 ng/ml. 12 of these subjects (53.2%) had troponin I serum concentrations higher than 0,5 ng/ml, that is the upper limit of normal values when the IRMA method is used, and 4 had troponin I serum concentrations higher than 2 ng/ml. Troponin I serum values were significantly higher than controls p < 0.002. Slight serum troponin elevation can help to better define subjects with a more severe hypertensive cardiac damage and to predict cardiovascular events.