Reference value for cardiac troponin I in a multi-ethnic group

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Cardiovascular Diagnostics
• Biomarker Analysis

Background:

• Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is a critical biomarker for diagnosing myocardial infarction.
• Understanding cTnI distribution across diverse populations is essential for accurate clinical interpretation.
• The ADVIA TnI-Ultra assay offers high sensitivity for cTnI detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the distribution of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) values using the ADVIA TnI-Ultra assay in a multi-ethnic cohort.
• To determine the assay's imprecision across different demographic groups.
• To assess potential ethnic and sex-based variations in cTnI levels.

Main Methods:

• Analytical performance evaluation of the ADVIA TnI-Ultra assay.
• Study population included 234 men and 208 women (age 18-73) from Malay, Chinese, and Indian ethnic groups.
• cTnI values were measured and statistically analyzed for distribution and differences.

Main Results:

• Mean cTnI values were similar between males (0.011 µg/L) and females (0.010 µg/L), with no significant difference (p > 0.05).
• Mean cTnI values were consistent across Malay, Chinese, and Indian groups (0.011 µg/L), showing no significant ethnic variation (p > 0.05).
• The 99th percentile for the ADVIA TnI-Ultra assay was determined to be 0.061 µg/L, with assay imprecision <10% above 0.036 µg/L.

Conclusions:

• The ADVIA TnI-Ultra assay demonstrates consistent cTnI values across diverse ethnic groups and between sexes.
• A single, population-wide cut-off value, based on the 99th percentile, can be reliably applied.
• This simplifies clinical interpretation and aids in the diagnosis of cardiac events.