BACKGROUND - High-sensitivity Troponins (hs-cTnT and hs-cTnI) are established biomarkers to identify patients with an acute myocardial infarction. However, data comparing the capacity of these two subtypes in predicting recurrent cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in a population with stable coronary heart disease (CHD) after adjustment for several other modern biomarkers are lacking.

METHODS - We measured both troponins at baseline in 1068 CHD patients, followed them for 13 years, assessed a combined CVD endpoint, and adjusted for multiple traditional and novel risk factors.

RESULTS - Both troponins correlated significantly with age, low and high BMI, male gender, statin therapy, and emerging biomarkers (e.g. cystatin C, NT-proBNP, GDF-15, hsCRP or galectin 3). During follow-up of 13 years, 267 fatal and non-fatal CVD events occurred. Top quartiles of both troponin concentrations were significantly associated with CVD events compared to the bottom quartile after adjustment for age, gender and established CVD risk factors (hs-cTnT: hazard ratio (HR) 2.54 (95% CI, 1.60-4.03), p for trend: <0.0001; hs-cTnI: HR 2.20 (95% CI, 1.44-3.36), p for trend: <0.0002 and 0.0003). However, after adjustment for other emerging biomarkers, the associations were no longer statistically significant (hs-cTnT: HR 1.63 (95% CI, 0.97-2.73), p for trend: 0.17; hs-cTnI: HR 1.61 (95% CI, 1.00-2.60), p for trend: 0.067).

CONCLUSION - Both troponins are reliable biomarkers of recurrent cardiovascular events, especially if other novel, important markers such as NT-proBNP, GDF-15 and galectin 3 are not available. Nevertheless, a further workup is still needed to explain the complex interaction of biomarkers indicating vascular and myocardial function.

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