April 2015

Troponins are the markers of choice for detecting myocardial necrosis and are used for the early diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Highly sensitive test methods have recently made it possible to detect the presence of even very low concentrations of circulating troponins in healthy individuals. Whether individuals with elevated troponin levels and hence a higher risk for cardiovascular events benefit from therapy is so far poorly understood. A team led by Stefan Blankenberg and Tanja Zeller have been investigating this question in cooperation with researchers from Boston. The JUPITER study investigated whether cardiac troponin I (hsTnI) and the B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) measured with high-sensitivity assays are associated with cardiovascular events and whether the effectiveness of statin therapy might be modified by hsTnI or BNP. The researchers showed that hsTnI is detectible in 92% of the JUPITER population and is associated with a risk for cardiovascular events or death. On the basis of hsTnI concentrations, it was possible to detect high-risk individuals who could benefit substantially from statin therapy.

Link to the Paper