title: Can troponin T levels be useful in the diagnosis of rheumatic carditis?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is an endemic disease observed in children of developing countries. The purpose of this study was to test if it was possible to identify myocardial involvement in cases with rheumatic carditis by the measurement of serum cardiac TnT.
  
  
  METHODS
  30 patients diagnosed as ARF underwent echocardiography and their cardiac troponin T (cTnT) serum levels were measured. Patients were divided into group 1: Arthritis alone, group 2: carditis, and group 3 carditis with congestive heart failure (CHF).
  
  
  RESULTS
  cTnT serum levels were normal in all except one patient with in group 3. Two patients in carditis (group 2) and three patients in CHF (group 3) had dilation in left ventricular end diastolic diameter.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Normal cTnT levels in our patient group suggests that inflammation rather than myocardial necrosis is predominant in ARF carditis.
authors: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Akdeniz University School of Medicine, Arapsuyu, Antalya, Turkey.
authors: Mehmet Halil
authors: MH
authors: Ertug
authors: Gokben Gorsel
authors: GG
authors: Yılmaz
authors: Gayaz
authors: G
authors: Akçurin
authors: Fırat
authors: F
authors: Kardelen
authors: Abdullah
authors: A
authors: Kocabas
authors: Saadet
authors: S
authors: Gumuşlu
authors: Sibel Kuloglu
authors: SK
authors: Genç