Data mining: Biological and temporal factors associated with blood cardiac troponin I concentration in a Chinese population

Abstract Background Cardiac troponin is the cornerstone biomarker for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. The aims of this study were to evaluate the association of biological and temporal factors with plasma cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentration in a large group of Chinese outpatients and to explore which factor (sex, age, time of blood sampling, and season of the year) had the largest influence on plasma cTnI levels. Methods Analytical data with outpatient cTnI results were downloaded from the laboratory information system from January 1, 2012 to September 20, 2018. All cTnI measurements were performed with a Siemens Dimension EXL automatic chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer. A statistical method was used to strictly exclude outliers. A total of 86,381 outpatients were enrolled in the study. Results In individuals over 60 years old, cTnI levels gradually increased with age in both males and females. cTnI reached its highest levels in individuals over 80 years old (0.030 μg/L in males and 0.027 μg/L in females). In individuals over 70 years old, cTnI levels were significantly higher in males than in females ( P P Conclusion Plasma cTnI levels were significantly influenced by sex, age, time of blood sampling, and season of the year. Thus, in order to avoid incorrect identification of cTnI values as abnormal, a cTnI reference interval should be established, taking into consideration the sex and age of the individual, the time of day of blood sampling, and the season of the year.