Troponin T Test

The troponin-T test is ordered in the emergency room when a patient shows the following symptoms of a heart attack:

• Chest pain or discomfort
• Trouble breathing
• Pain in the jaw, neck, arm and back
• Sweating
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fatigue
• Dizziness

Also, this test is used in the following cardiac clinical situations:

• Unstable angina
• Estimation of the severity of a heart attack
• Detection of a heart attack around the time of a surgery
• Evaluation of the severity of pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung)
• Congestive heart failure

Troponin T is always preferred over troponin I for diagnosing heart attacks because of its higher specificity and sensitivity towards heart muscle injury.

Troponin T levels help in predicting the long-term risk of cardiac death in a patient with other complications such as end-stage renal disease.

After you have been tested once, this test may be repeated over the next 24 hours. A repeat test helps the doctor to check for any changes in the levels of troponin T over time.

No special preparations are required for a troponin T test. Intramuscular injections, vigorous exercising and medications do not interfere with the results of this test.

Your doctor will withdraw a blood sample from a vein in your arm. You may feel a slight pricking sensation when the needle is inserted - it will subside soon. If you have felt dizzy or faint during a blood test in the past or if you are scared of needles or the sight of blood, please inform your doctor or nurse so that they can help you feel more comfortable.

Normal results:

The normal value for cardiac troponin T is <0.2 ng/mL (nanograms per millilitre).

This value may differ slightly from one laboratory to another. Also, the presence of even a small amount of troponin T in the blood often means some damage to the heart. Please speak to your doctor for an accurate interpretation of your results. 

If your troponin T levels are normal for 12 hours after chest pain, it is unlikely that you have a heart attack. In such a case, your symptoms may be attributed to another condition.

Abnormal results:

Increased troponin T levels (> 0.2 ng/mL) may also be seen in the following conditions:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Congestive heart failure
• Cardiomyopathy (weakening of the heart muscle)
• Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle usually due to a virus)
• Tachycardia (abnormally fast heartbeat)
• Pulmonary embolism
• Pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lung arteries)
• Trauma that injures the heart, such as a car accident
• Medical procedures such as open heart surgery or cardiac angioplasty
• Long-term kidney disease

Significantly increased troponin T levels usually indicate that a heart attack has occurred. Troponin T levels remain high for one to two weeks after a heart attack.

Dialysis patients may show false-positive results.

Disclaimer: All results must be clinically correlated with the patient’s complaints to make a complete and accurate diagnosis. The above information is provided from a purely educational point of view and is in no way a substitute for medical advice by a qualified doctor.