Cardiac troponin is a protein released into the blood steam when the heart muscle has become inflamed or injured or when the heart is struggling more than normal. It is commonly detected when a person has severe chest pain due to a heart attack, however higher than normal levels can be detected when the heart is inflamed or affected by cardiomyopathy.
There are two types of Troponin which can be measured Troponin I and Troponin T. Both of these are sensitive markers of heart muscle inflammation or injury although Troponin T is also released when a muscle attached to a bone has been injured.
When is Troponin measured?
Measuring troponin levels in the blood helps doctors and nurses diagnose and treat heart conditions for example a heart attack and can help guide them in deciding which other investigations might be helpful. Levels will start to rise 3-4 hours after heart muscle injury has occurred, levels can stay elevated for up to 2 weeks.
When might they be raised?
It is not unusual for Troponin levels to be raised in people who have been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. The most common reason for a rise in troponin levels is due to heart muscle inflammation or injury, there are also other possible causes of a rise in troponin levels in the blood these include:
- intense exercise
- a burn injury
- an Infection
- medication
- pericarditis- inflammation around the heart
- endocarditis- an infection of the heart valves
- myocarditis-inflammation of the heart muscle
- heart failure
- kidney disease
- a blood clot in the lungs
- diabetes
- an underactive thyroid
- a Stroke
- bleeding in the stomach
How is cardiac troponin measured?
Troponin levels are measured using a blood test and will likely be measured if your symptoms might be caused by a heart condition, which include, chest pain, pain which goes into your neck, back, arm or jaw, intense sweating, felling light headed, dizziness, nausea (feeling sick), feeling breathless and/or fatigue ( feeling tired).
Who do I speak to about my results?
If you have had heart symptoms and your troponin levels are low (12 hours after the onset of symptoms) it is likely that your symptoms didn’t cause injury to your heart. The range for normal troponin levels can vary between laboratories, our nurse team would advise that it is best to discuss your results with the clinician ( your doctor or nurse) who ordered the test, who will compare it to your initial (first) reading.
Call our helpline
Call our nurses helpline on 0800 018 1024, the lines are open Monday to Friday, from 8:30am - 4:30pm. You can also email supportnurse@cardiomyopathy.org or open a live chat here on our website.