Cardiac troponin I in pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate serum cardiac troponin I, a sensitive marker of cardiac myocyte damage, in normal pregnancy and pregnancies complicated by hypertension with and without significant proteinuria.


METHODS
Prospective cross sectional study.


METHODS
University hospital delivery suite.


METHODS
Serum samples obtained from women in normal pregnancy and in pregnancies complicated by hypertension with and without significant proteinuria.


METHODS
Women with hypertension in pregnancy (at least two readings of systolic blood pressure > 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure > 90 mmHg) (n = 26) and normotensive women (n = 43) were included in the study. Serum cardiac troponin I was measured using Beckman Access immunoassay.


METHODS
Serum cardiac troponin I level in the pregnancies complicated by hypertension (with and without significant proteinuria) compared with the levels measured in normotensive women.


RESULTS
The median serum cardiac troponin I level in pregnancies complicated by hypertension was 0.118 ng/mL (n = 26) which was significantly greater than that measured in samples obtained from normotensive women in pregnancy (0.03 ng/mL; n = 43) (P < 0.0001). There were higher median serum cardiac troponin I levels in hypertensive women with significant proteinuria (0.155 ng/mL; n = 6), compared with those without proteinuria (0.089 ng/mL; n = 20; P = 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
Serum cardiac troponin I is elevated in women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy indicating some degree of cardiac myofibrillary damage in these disorders.
Fleming
S M
SM
Department of Cardiology, University College Hospital, Galway, Ireland.
O'Gorman
T
T
Finn
J
J
Grimes
H
H
Daly
K
K
Morrison
J J
JJ
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D019210:Troponin I / Q000097:blood*
D015415:Biomarkers; D019210:Troponin I