Cardiac troponin and subclinical cardiovascular dysfunction in metabolic syndrome: a retrospective analysis based on two diagnostic definitions

BACKGROUND: Serum high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T concentration (hs-cTnT) belongs to key markers of myocardial damage. Its role in screening for subclinical cardiovascular (CV) dysfunction remains unclear. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a constellation of coexisting disorders that lead to increased CV risk. There are various criteria for diagnosing MetS. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the correlation between hs-cTnT and selected parameters of subclinical CV dysfunction in individuals with and without MetS, taking into account the influence of the adopted MetS definition on these relationships. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study consisted of a retrospective analysis of data from 113 patients (mean age 60.14 ± 16.44; 61.95% females) without symptoms of acute illness. Echocardiography, Doppler ultrasound of the carotid arteries and lower extremities arteries, central blood pressure, and pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurement, as well as ankle-brachial index (ABI) and toe-brachial index (TBI) measurements, were used to assess features of CV dysfunction. The criteria included in the 2009 consensus of scientific societies and those proposed by Polish experts in 2022 were independently applied to diagnose MetS and the results were analyzed. RESULTS: Individuals with MetS were characterized by significantly more severe subclinical CV dysfunction, and the differences were more pronounced when using the 2022 definition of Polish experts. hs-cTnT significantly correlates with parameters of CV dysfunction (left ventricle diastolic dysfunction, vascular stiffness, and subclinical atherosclerosis) in patients with and without MetS. Interaction analysis and multivariate analysis did not find any significant differences between individuals with and without MetS in the correlation between hs-cTnT and the analyzed CV dysfunction parameters. CONCLUSION: Some significant correlations were found between hs-cTnT and selected CV dysfunction parameters in patients with MetS. However, hs-cTnT did not consistently demonstrate superior diagnostic utility for detecting subclinical CV damage in individuals with MetS compared to those without MetS.