Trends in Blood Pressure and High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin-T With Cardiovascular Disease: The Cardiovascular Health Study

BACKGROUND: High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) is individually associated with incident hypertension (HTN) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. We hypothesize that the increases in hs-cTnT with increases in blood pressure will be related to higher incidence of CVD. METHODS: The Cardiovascular Health Study is a longitudinal cohort of older adults. Those with hs-cTnT data and CVD risk factors at baseline and follow-up (2-3 years later) were stratified based on systolic blood pressure (SBP; optimal: <120 mm Hg, intermediate: 120-139 mm Hg, elevated: ≥140 mm Hg) and hs-cTnT (undetectable: <5 ng/l, detectable: 5-13 ng/l, elevated: ≥14 ng/l) categories. SBP and hs-cTnT were classified as increased or decreased if they changed categories between exams, and stable if they did not. Cox regression evaluated incident CVD events over an average 9-year follow-up. RESULTS: Among 2,219 adults, 510 (23.0 %) had decreased hs-cTnT, 1,279 (57.6 %) had stable hs-cTnT, and 430 (19.4 %) had increased hs-cTnT. Those with increased hs-cTnT had a higher CVD risk with stable SBP (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.28 [1.04-1.57], P = 0.02) or decreased SBP (HR: 1.57 [1.08-2.28], P = 0.02) compared to those within the same SBP group but a stable hs-cTnT. In those with lower SBP at follow-up, there was an inverse relation between diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and risk of CVD events in those with increased hs-cTnT (HR: 0.44 per 10 mm Hg increase, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: An increase in hs-cTnT over time is associated with a higher risk of CVD even when the blood pressure is stable or decreases over time.