Impact of lipid markers and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein on the value of the 99th percentile upper reference limit for high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I

Abstract Objectives i) To assess the relationship between lipid markers and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) in the reference population, and ii) to evaluate the impact of lipid markers and hs-CRP on the 99th percentile upper reference limit (URL) for hs-cTnI. Methods 531 questionnaire-identified presumably healthy individuals were enrolled in a single-center, cross-sectional study. Surrogate biomarkers for diabetes, myocardial and renal dysfunction were used to refine the healthy cohort ( n  = 408). Lipid profile, total cholesterol:high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio, non-HDL-C, apolipoprotein AI (apoAI), apolipoprotein B (apoB), apoB:apoAI ratio, lipoprotein(a), small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and hs-CRP were determined. Results Individuals with detectable vs. non-detectable hs-cTnI concentrations more often showed elevated LDL-C (60% vs. 46%; p  = 0.002), apoB (73% vs. 61%; p  = 0.008), apoB:apoAI ratio (53% vs. 40%; p  = 0.005) and lipoprotein(a) (15% vs. 7%; p  = 0.015). The apoB:apoAI ratio and to a lesser extent other lipid markers, but not hs-CRP, were positively associated with hs-cTnI concentration in univariate and multivariate analyses. Exclusion of individuals with elevated apoB:apoAI ratio or apoB, but not hs-CRP, lowered the 99th percentile URL in the healthy cohort respectively by 12.9% (6.2 vs. 5.4 ng/L) and 14.5% (6.2 vs. 5.3 ng/L). The corresponding reduction for both lipid biomarkers in the presumably healthy population was 24.0% (7.5 vs. 5.7 ng/L). Conclusion Our study demonstrates that atherogenic lipid markers, particularly apoB:apoAI ratio or apoB, influence the 99th percentile URL for hs-cTnI.