Data from: Association of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T with mortality and cardiovascular events in a community-based prospective study in Beijing

Objective: The prognostic value of cardiac troponins in apparently healthy
populations is not well established. The aim of this study was to
investigate the prognostic properties of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin
T (hs-cTnT) for long-term adverse outcomes. Setting: A community-dwelling
prospective survey of residents from two communities in Beijing.
Participants: From September 2007 to January 2009, 1680 participants were
initially enrolled. Of these, 1499 (870 females, mean age: 61.4 years)
participants completed the survey and were followed up for a median of 4.8
years (interquartile range: 4.5–5.2). Outcome measures: The primary
outcome was the occurrence of all-cause mortality and major cardiovascular
events. Results: Overall, 820 individuals (54.7%) had detectable hs-cTnT
levels. During the follow-up, 52 participants (3.5%) died, 154 (10.3%) had
major cardiovascular events, and 99 (6.6%) experienced new-onset coronary
events. Compared with those with undetectable hs-cTnT levels, participants
with hs-cTnT levels in the highest category(≥14 ng/L) had a significantly
increased risk for all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] :
2.07, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–3.01), major cardiovascular
events (aHR: 3.27, 95% CI: 1.88–5.70), and coronary events (aHR: 4.50, 95%
CI: 2.26–9.02) in covariate-adjusted analyses. No differences in stroke
incidence were found (aHR: 1.27; 95% CI: 0.69–2.62). Also, significant
associations were presented when hs-cTnT levels were modelled as a
continuous variable and when analysing changes in hs-cTnT levels over time
with adverse outcomes. The addition of troponin T levels to clinical
variables led to significant increases in risk prediction with a marked
improvement in the c-statistic (P=0.003 or lower). Conclusions: In this
cohort of individuals from a community-based population, cardiac troponin
T levels measured with a highly sensitive assay were associated with
increases in the subsequent risk for all-cause mortality and major
cardiovascular events. These results might support screening for at-risk
individuals.