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Published on: August 8, 2013

Relationship of cardiac troponin T and procoagulant activity in unstable angina

E Giannitsis1, M M Bardorff, S Schweikart

  • 1Medizinische Klinik II der Medizinischen Universität zu Lübeck, Germany.

Thrombosis and Haemostasis
|March 30, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) levels in unstable angina patients indicate increased procoagulant activity. Elevated cTnT is closely linked to molecular markers of hemostatic activation, aiding in identifying patients needing intensified antithrombotic therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Hematology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Unstable angina (UAP) is associated with increased thrombotic risk.
  • Hemostatic activation plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of UAP.
  • Identifying patients with heightened procoagulant activity is essential for optimizing treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the incidence of increased procoagulant activity in UAP patients.
  • To evaluate the relationship between cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and molecular markers of hemostatic activation.

Main Methods:

  • Studied 44 patients with UAP, stratified by plasma cTnT levels.
  • Administered unfractionated heparin and acetylsalicylic acid to all patients.
  • Serially measured cTnT, fibrin monomers (FM), prothrombin fragments F1+2, thrombin-antithrombin III complexes (TAT), plasminogen, and alpha2-antiplasmin within 48 hours.

Main Results:

  • Increased FM detected in 45.5% of patients, more common with cTnT ≥ 0.1 ng/ml (p=0.003).
  • Significant correlations found between cTnT and FM (r=0.74), and prothrombin fragments F1+2 (r=0.71).
  • cTnT ≥ 0.1 ng/ml showed good sensitivity and specificity for identifying elevated hemostatic markers.

Conclusions:

  • cTnT effectively identifies UAP patients with increased procoagulant activity.
  • cTnT levels correlate closely with molecular markers of hemostatic activation.
  • cTnT alone or combined with other markers can guide more potent antithrombotic therapy decisions.
Abstract

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