Patients with unstable angina are at either low or high risk with regard to cardiac death, myocardial infaretion and revascularization procedures. Patients at high risk have poor early prognosis due to syınptomatic or silent myocardial ischeınia in spite of maximal medical therapy. Cardiac troponin-T is a contractile protein norınally absenı in circulation. When present in circulation, it is a specific and sensitive sign for myocyte daınage. This study sought to evaluate whether troponin-T is a deterın i nant of early prognosis in unstable angina. Fourty-five patients of Braunwald class-III unstable angina were included in the study. Troponin-T was ıneasured at admission, and 0.2 ng/mL was taken as the upper limit. Patients were followed up for 3 weeksfor the development of cardiac events defined as cardiac deaıh, myocardial infarction, recurrent angina and revascularization. Cardiac troponin-T w as elevated in 18 of 45 patients ( 40% ). All patients had normal creatine kinase-MB values. In 17 patients with high troponin-T levels (94%), 6 (33%) developed MI, 10 (56%) had recurrent angina and 6 (33%) underwent revascularization. In 27 patients with low troponin-T 1evels, only 4 (15%) had a cardiac event. Patients with high cardiac troponin-T levels were signifıcant1y different from patients with low cardiac troponin-T levels in terrns of cardiac events during a 3-week follow-up (p<0.0001). In conclusion, cardiac troponin T measurement is a reliable, simple, inexpensive and noninvasive test which identifies high-risk patients with unstable angina who require early coronary arteriography.
Keywords: Unstable angina, troponin-T, early prognosisCopyright © 2025 Archives of the Turkish Society of Cardiology