Relationship Between Renal Function and Serum Cardiac Troponin T in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

AIMS: Both serum cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and renal function are prognostic predictors in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). We aimed to evaluate the relationship between renal function and serum cTnT. METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured serum concentrations of cTnT in the aortic root (AO) and coronary sinus (CS) in 258 CHF patients. Patients were divided into two groups: patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) >or= 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) [chronic kidney disease (CKD)(-)], and patients with an eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) [CKD (+)]. In 32 (12%) of the 258 CHF patients, serum levels of cTnT were detectable (>or=0.03 ng/mL) in the AO and in the CS. There was no correlation between eGFR and the transcardiac increase in cTnT and there was a significant negative correlation between eGFR and the serum cTnT concentration (r = - 0.365, P = 0.039). There was no difference in the transcardiac gradient of cTnT between patients without CKD (n = 16) and patients with CKD (n = 16) (0.083 +/- 0.11 vs. 0.108 +/- 0.13 ng/mL, P = 0.55). However, the serum cTnT level in the AO was two-fold higher in CHF patients with CKD than patients without CKD (0.20 +/- 0.177 vs. 0.088 +/- 0.065 ng/mL, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that decreased clearance via the kidney contributes to the elevated cTnT in CHF patients with CKD.