title: Cardiac Troponin T as Early Marker of Subclinical Cardiovascular Deterioration in Black Hypertensive Women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hypertensive heart disease is a rising concern, especially among black South African women. As high sensitivity cardiac troponin T (cTnT) is a marker of cardiomyocyte damage, we determined the potential link of (i) systemic endothelial dysfunction (reflected by urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio), (ii) large artery stiffness, (iii) cardiac volume load (estimated by the N-terminal prohormone B-type natriuretic peptide (Nt-proBNP)), and (iv) ECG left ventricular hypertrophy in post-menopausal black women.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 121 (50 normotensive and 71 hypertensive) black women (mean age: 60.6 years), basic cardiovascular assessments including blood pressure and ECG were performed, along with plasma and urinary biomarkers including cTnT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cTnT levels (p=0.049) along with Nt-proBNP (p=0.003), pulse pressure (p<0.0001) and the Cornell product (p=0.030) were higher in hypertensive than normotensive women. Only in hypertensive women, was cTnT independently associated with urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (β=0.25; p=0.019), pulse pressure (β=0.31; p=0.019), Nt-proBNP (β=0.47; p<0.0001) and Cornell product (β=0.31; p=0.018). An independent association between albumin-to-creatinine ratio and cTnT was also evident in normotensive women (β=0.34; p=0.037).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found cTnT to be a useful marker in an elderly black population relating to several measures of cardiovascular deterioration - from subclinical endothelial dysfunction to left ventricular hypertrophy.
authors.affiliation: Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART), North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa. Electronic address: ruan.kruger@nwu.ac.za.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kruger
authors.affiliation: Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART), North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa; Medical Research Council: Unit for Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Schutte
authors.affiliation: Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART), North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
authors.forename: C M C
authors.initials: CMC
authors.lastname: Mels
authors.affiliation: Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART), North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART), North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: van Rooyen
authors.affiliation: Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR), North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Kruger
authors.affiliation: Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART), North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
authors.forename: C M T
authors.initials: CMT
authors.lastname: Fourie
mesh_terms: D000419:Albuminuria / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000652:urine; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D044383:Black People; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000652:urine; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000652:urine; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020107:Troponin T / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D020107:Troponin T; D003404:Creatinine
keywords: Arterial stiffness; Endothelial dysfunction; Hypertension; Left ventricular hypertrophy; Troponin T