Plasma cardiac troponin I concentrations in healthy neonates, children and adolescents measured with a high sensitive immunoassay method: High sensitive troponin I in pediatric age

• There are gaps in our knowledge on circulating levels of cTn in healthy children.
• Hs-cTnI was highest in the first month of life with a decline in the next years.
• Hs-cTnI plasma levels were lower in female compared with males.
• Age and sex influence physiologically released plasma levels of hs-cTnI in children.
• There is the need of hs-cTnI reference intervals specific for age and sex.

Over the past 10 years cardiac troponin (cTn) immunoassays have been improved in analytical sensitivity and precision thereby allowing the measurement of cTn in adult healthy subjects. However, there are currently substantial gaps in our knowledge on circulating levels of cTn in healthy children. The aim of this study is to evaluate the distribution of plasma troponin concentration in apparently healthy pediatric subjects using a high sensitive immunoassay for cTnI measurement (hs-cTnI). Blood samples were obtained from 357 healthy pediatric subjects [204 males; age range 0–18 years; mean (SD): 8.7(6) years], including 36 subjects aged < 1 month (neonates), 57 between 1 and 12 months (infants), 65 between 1 and 10 years (toddlers), and 223 between 10 and 18 years (adolescents). The percentages of healthy population with cTnI values equal or less than the calculated and LOD value were 13.1%. cTnI plasma levels were highest in the first month of life with a progressive decline in the next years and were lower in female. At multivariate analysis, only age was predictor of hs-cTnI plasma levels. The age and sex of children influence normal and physiologically released circulating concentrations of hs-cTnI, suggesting the need of reference intervals specific for age and sex.

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