Serum high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T is a significant biomarker of left-ventricular diastolic dysfunction in subjects with non-diabetic chronic kidney disease.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with left-ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) which progresses to diastolic heart failure. However, biomarkers predicting LVDD in patients with CKD are largely unknown.

Methods: In 93 patients with non-diabetic CKD, the relationships among echocardiography, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), and renal function were evaluated. LV mass index, peak early diastolic mitral filling velocity (E), peak early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E'), and E/E' were recorded.

Results: The E' values were significantly decreased and E/E', BNP, and hs-cTnT increased with increasing CKD stage. The CKD patients with LVDD with E' <5 cm/s had a significantly higher hs-cTnT level as well as a significantly higher BNP level compared to those with E' ≥5 cm/s. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for hs-cTnT and BNP to detect E' <5 cm/s was 0.880 (p = 0.0101) and 0.741 (p = 0.0570), respectively. In multivariate analysis, hs-cTnT and albuminuria were significantly associated with E', and estimated glomerular filtration rate with the hs-cTnT level, after adjusting for age, cause of CKD, and other parameters.

Conclusions: These data suggest that hs-cTnT may be a useful biomarker of LVDD in non- diabetic CKD patients.