Urine albumin excretion is associated with cardiac troponin T detected with a highly sensitive assay in a community-based population

Abstract

Background Urine albumin excretion is an important predictor of adverse cardiovascular events. Minimally elevated levels of serum cardiac troponin T (cTnT), a marker of cardiomyocyte micronecrosis, can be detected with high sensitivity cTnT (hs-cTnT) assays. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between alterations in albuminuria and serum hscTnT levels in a community-based population. Methods We examined the association between the urine albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) and hscTnT levels in 1354 participants without overt cardiovascular disease in a communitybased, cross-sectional study in Beijing, China. Results With the highly sensitive assay, cTnT levels were detectable in 90.5% of our subjects. The median (interquartile range) concentrations of hs-cTnT were 7 (5-10) pg/mL. After adjustment for several factors, UACR (odds ratio: 1.40; 95% confidence interval: 1.08-1.65; P = 0.002) was associated with a higher likelihood of elevated hs-cTnT (14 pg/ mL), whereas the relationship between UACR and a higher presence of detectable hs-cTnT (3 pg/ mL) was not significant. In addition, a fully adjusted logistic regression analysis revealed that compared with participants in the lowest UACR quartile, those in the highest quartile had a 2.43- fold (95% CI: 1.25-5.08; P = 0.006) increased risk of elevated hs-cTnT. Conclusions Higher urine albumin excretion is associated with elevated hs-cTnT among persons without clinically evident cardiovascular disease, suggesting that albuminuria may be a potential risk factor for subclinical cardiovascular disease in the general population.