High-Sensitive Cardiospecific Troponins: The Role of Gender-Specific Concentration in the Diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome (Descriptive Review)

Abstract

Cardiospecific troponins are specifically localized in the troponin-tropomyosin complex and in the cytoplasm of cardiac myocytes. Cardiospecific troponin molecules are released from cardiac myocytes upon their death (irreversible damage in acute coronary syndrome) or reversible damage to cardiac myocytes, for example, during physical exertion or the influence of stress factors. Modern high-sensitive immunochemical methods for detecting cardiospecific troponins T and I are extremely sensitive to minimal reversible damage to cardiac myocytes. This makes it possible to detect damage to cardiac myocytes in the early stages of the pathogenesis of many extra-cardiac and cardiovascular diseases, including acute coronary syndrome. So, in 2021, the European Society of Cardiology approved diagnostic algorithms of acute coronary syndrome, which allow the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome in the first 1–2 hours from the moment of admission of the patient to the emergency department. However, high-sensitive immunochemical methods for detecting cardiospecific troponins T and I may also be sensitive to physiological and biological factors, which are important to consider in order to establish a diagnostic threshold (99 percentile). One of the important biological factors that affects the 99 percentile levels of cardiospecific troponins T and I are gender characteristics. This article examines the role of gender-specific concentration of cardiospecific troponins in the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome and the mechanisms of formation of gender-specific serum levels of cardiospecific troponins T and I.