Myocardial Injury Thresholds for 4 High-Sensitivity Troponin Assays in U.S. Adults.

BACKGROUND

Myocardial injury is currently defined as a cardiac troponin above the sex-specific 99th percentile of a healthy reference population (upper reference limit [URL]).

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to estimate high-sensitivity (hs) troponin URLs in a representative sample of the U.S. adult population; overall and by sex, race/ethnicity, and age group.

METHODS

Among adults participating in the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we measured hs-troponin T using 1 assay (Roche) and hs-troponin I using 3 assays (Abbott, Siemens, and Ortho). In a strictly defined healthy reference subgroup, we estimated 99th percentile URLs for each assay using the recommended nonparametric method.

RESULTS

Of 12,545 participants, 2,746 met criteria for the healthy subgroup (mean age 37 years, 50% men). The NHANES 99th percentile URL for hs-troponin T (19 ng/L) matched the manufacturer-reported URL (19 ng/L). NHANES URLs were 13 ng/L (95% CI: 10-15 ng/L) for Abbott hs-troponin I (manufacturer: 28 ng/L), 5 ng/L (95% CI: 4-7 ng/L) for Ortho hs-troponin I (manufacturer: 11 ng/L), and 37 ng/L (95% CI: 27-66 ng/L) for Siemens hs-troponin I (manufacturer: 46.5 ng/L). There were significant differences in URLs by sex, but none by race/ethnicity. Furthermore, the 99th percentile URLs for all 4 hs-troponin assays were statistically significantly lower in healthy adults aged <40 years compared with healthy adults ≥60 years (all P < 0.001 by rank sum testing).

CONCLUSIONS

We found URLs for hs-troponin I assays that were substantially lower than currently listed 99th percentile URLs. There were significant differences in hs-troponin T and I URLs by sex and by age group in healthy U.S. adults but none by race/ethnicity.