June 11, 2026Journal of the American College of Cardiology
Cardiac Troponin I Levels Measured With a High-Sensitive Assay Increase Over Time and Are Strong Predictors of Mortality in an Elderly Population
Key result
Cardiac troponin I levels predict ~44% higher all-cause mortality in elderly community dwellers.
- HR 1.44
- 95% CI 1.18 to 1.77
- n=1,004
Why the study?
Cardiac troponin levels are often detectable in community dwellers using sensitive assays, but information on their course over time and prognostic implications is limited.
Do high-sensitive cardiac troponin I levels predict mortality in elderly community dwellers?
Population
1,004 community dwellers aged 70 years
Comparison
Baseline and 5-year high-sensitive cTnI levels
Design
Prospective cohort study
Follow-up
8.0 years
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
May refine mortality risk stratification in elderly outpatients; hypothesis-generating for randomized trials.
Key Points
- The aim is to investigate changes in cardiac troponin I levels over time and their prognostic implications for mortality in elderly individuals.
- Measured cardiac troponin I using a novel high-sensitive assay in 1,004 elderly community dwellers at baseline and 814 after 5 years.
- Conducted a total follow-up of 8.0 years to assess mortality outcomes.
- Troponin I levels were detectable in 96.4% of subjects and predicted all-cause mortality (HR: 1.44 [95% CI: 1.18 to 1.77]).
- Median troponin I levels increased by 45% over 5 years, with significant associations found with male sex, BMI, and left ventricular ejection fraction.
- The change in troponin I levels independently predicted all-cause mortality after 5 years (HR: 1.97 [95% CI: 1.14 to 3.40]).
Study Design
Type
Cohort (n=1,004)
Structured PICO
Do high-sensitive cardiac troponin I levels predict mortality in elderly community dwellers?
P
Population
1,004 community-dwelling adults aged 70 years, followed for a total of 8.0 years.
E
Exposure
Measurement of Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) using a high-sensitive assay
O
Outcome
All-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortalityhard clinical
Main Result
Hazard Ratio: 1.44 (95% CI 1.18–1.77)
High-sensitive cardiac troponin I levels are detectable in most elderly individuals, increase over time, and independently predict all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
Cite This Study
Eggers et al. (2013) conducted a cohort in Elderly community dwellers (n=1,004). Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels was evaluated on All-cause mortality (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.77). Cardiac troponin I levels independently predicted all-cause mortality (adjusted HR 1.44; 95% CI 1.18 to 1.77) and increased over time in elderly community dwellers.