High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T in detecting obstructive coronary artery disease in hemodialysis patients listed for kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease.

AIMS

This study aimed to assess the prognostic value of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) in identifying patients with obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) among patients on hemodialysis listed for kidney transplantation.

METHODS

The study prospectively enrolled consecutive adult hemodialysis patients listed for kidney transplantation. They underwent laboratory tests and a standardized set of imaging and functional tests, including coronary angiography, according to patient characteristics.

RESULTS

The study included 100 consecutive patients (72 men)at a median age of 56.5 years. Ultimately, 48% of the patients were diagnosed with obstructive CAD. Age and plasma hs-cTnT levels predicted the diagnosis of obstructive CAD (OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.08-1.20; P < 0.001 and OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.05; P = 0.001, respectively). The calculated cut-off value for age was 53 years, which showed sensitivity of 87.5% and specificity of 76.9% for obstructive CAD diagnosis. The calculated value for hs-cTnT was 0.067 ng/ml, which showed sensitivity of 61.4% and specificity of 82.2% for the detection of obstructive CAD. In patients aged >52 years, 79.2% were diagnosed with obstructive CAD. However, in the group of patients ≤52 years and with hs-cTnT >0.069 ng/ml, the incidence of obstructive CAD was significantly higher than in the group with hs-cTnT level ≤0.069 ng/ml.

CONCLUSIONS

Baseline hs-cTnT level is a useful prognostic biomarker in the diagnosis of obstructive CAD in hemodialysis patients listed for kidney transplantation.