troponin in 40s but no heart attack ?

[Pundit999]

About 10 days ago I had angina on low exertion. Went to the emergency room where they did an ecg and blood work . ECG was fine but the troponin level was elevated at about 40. They did another troponin 3 hrs later and it did not increase

They had me on drip blood thinner but due to the weekend , had to wait almost 3 days to get the angiography. They discovered an almost totally occluded LAD and inserted a stent . They said I had extensive collaterals that helped me avoid a heart attack.

I asked but they said I did not have a heart attack even though the troponin level was somewhat abnormal. Of course they did not find any damage to the heart

I was lucky for sure . But was wondering what is with the troponin level which indicates the heart muscle dying . Did I not have any damage even though the level was abnormal ? Or is it that the tests don’t find it if damage is minor ?

[DaphnesMum]

I was told that everyone’s base troop in level is different, the key measure for medical diagnosis is the differential measure and the time from the first to the second test

[Pundit999 in reply to DaphnesMum]

Thanks for the good information

[Crochetwoman]

hi, if it’s any help my Troponin level was 2,100 taken in the cat lab during my sudden heart attack and stent to RAD. Luckily I was stented within the golden 2 -3 hours . Damage to heart tissue wasn’t too bad but I did loose some. After that, the only other time I was in cardiology ( 2 years later) was during constant unstable angina and my Troponin was 30. There should only be trace levels of Troponin present on a good day . Hope things are settling for you now .

[Pundit999 in reply to Crochetwoman]

Thanks for your response .

Yeah they did tell me troponin level is in hundreds or thousands during heart attacks . But I am uncomfortable with the fact that my levels were abnormal as any abnormal reading probably indicates damage to heart .

But I am doing great after the stent though it has only been about 2 weeks

[Munners1975]

I had a STEMI at 45. Troponin 5092. I had a PCI with no stent.

I had a recent stress echo and it showed my EF was 66% with no evidence of significant previous myocardial damage.

I was very lucky. All recent troponin tests since the event in 2020 have only ever shown under 2 which is the NHS minimum level on their tests.

[Survivor1952]

When I first went to hospital my Troponin levels were 32 and then 39 on repeat test. Discharged and told there was nothing wrong with me. 7 months later I was again in hospital for a routine check, That revealed a silent heart attack 9 hours previous which led to 2 stents, Three weeks after that saw AVR and a single CABG.

I have made a full recovery and now run 5k once a week and do gym circuits once a week as well. I try to walk most days weather permitting. Life is absolutely normal, I’m 72 now.

[honeybubs]

Hi Pundit999 my Troponin levels were raised don’t know the number it was lowish but they kept me in as I was having 34,000 extra ectopic beats Bigeminy Arrhythmia and after scans they said I had Myocarditis and Pericarditis so my heart was inflamed. I have Dilated Cardiomyopathy. It took months of rest for it to get better. My Ejection Fraction was originally EF32 with tablets and a CRT-D device fitted it’s up to 49% now and I feel I’m nearly back to normal. So your Troponin levels can be a bit high for other reasons not just a heart attack. X

[Pundit999]

Thanks everyone for great comments. I am grateful for this great group though I am not from the UK.