The prognostic value of serum troponin T in unstable angina

Cardiac troponin T is a regulatory contractile protein not normally found in blood. Its detection in the circulation has been shown to be a sensitive and specific marker for myocardial cell damage. We used a newly developed enzyme immunoassay for troponin T to determine whether its presence in the serum of patients with unstable angina was a prognostic indicator.

We screened 72 patients with unstable angina (Class III, acute unstable angina) for serum creatine kinase activity, creatine kinase myocardial band (isoenzyme M) activity, and troponin T, every 8 h for 2 days after admission to the hospital. The outcomes of interest during the hospitalization were death and myocardial infarction.

Troponin T was detected in the serum of 24 of the 72 patients (34%) with acute angina at rest. Only four of these patients had elevated creatine kinase M activity. Of the 24 patients who were positive for troponin T, 12 had myocardial infarction, and 6 of these died during hospitalization. In contrast, only 2 of the 48 patients with angina at rest who were negative for troponin T had an acute myocardial infarction, and these patients died. Thus, 12 of the 14 patients with myocardial infarctions had detectable levels of troponin T; only 2 had elevated creatine kinase M activity.

Cardiac troponin T in serum appears to be a more sensitive indicator of myocardial-cell injury than serum creatine kinase MB activity, and its detection in the circulation may be a useful prognostic indicator in patients with unstable angina.