High-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays for cardiovascular risk stratification in the general population

Cardiac troponins (cTns) I and T have long been the most successful cardiac-specific circulating biomarkers in cardiovascular (CV) medicine, having changed dramatically the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, while being independent predictors of outcome in several cardiac conditions and non-cardiac conditions. The latest-generation high-sensitivity (hs) cTn assays demonstrate both enhanced diagnostic performance and improved analytical performance, with the ability to measure detectable concentrations in a substantial proportion of the asymptomatic and presumably healthy populations. Given this unique analytical feature, recent evidence suggests that hs-cTn can be used for the stratification of CV risk in the general population. High-sensitivity cTn predicts future CV events, are responsive to preventive pharmacological or lifestyle interventions, change in parallel to risk modifications, and offer incremental risk prediction when added to well-established prognosticators. The implementation of CV risk stratification and prevention strategies incorporating hs-cTn requires further investigation to define the optimal target populations, timing of measurement, and preventive interventions.