The clinical utility of lipid profile and positive troponin in predicting future cardiac events

Objective: To study the usefulness of traditional lipid profile levels in screening subjects\udwho had developed chest pain due to cardiac event as indicated by a positive troponin I (TnI)\udtest. Methods: In this retrospective study data of the 740 patients presented to the emergency\uddepartment with symptoms of cardiac ischemia that underwent both troponin and lipid profiles\udtests were compared with the lipid profiles of 411 normal healthy subjects (controls). The troponin\udwas detected qualitatively when a specimen contains TnI above the 99th percentile (TnI >0.5 ng/\udmL). The total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoproteins (HDL), very low density lipoproteins\ud(VLDL), and triacyl glycerol (TG) levels were also analyzed and low density lipoprotein level\ud(LDL) was calculated using Friedewald ’s formula. Results: Patients with chest pain and positive\udtroponin test (with confirmed cardiac event) were found to have significantly elevated levels of TC,\udTG, LDL and significantly reduced HDL levels when compared to the patients who experienced\udonly chest pain (negative troponin) and healthy controls. Conclusions: Traditional lipid profile\udlevels still can be used in screening populations to identify the subjects with high risk of\uddeveloping cardiac event which is identified by highly sensitive and specific positive troponin\udtest