Gender-specific reference values for high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T and I in well-phenotyped healthy individuals and validity of high-sensitivity assay designation.

Objective: To determine gender-specific reference limits of high-sensitivity (hs) cardiac troponins (cTn) and validity of hs assay designation for both genders.

Methods: After screening with a questionnaire, 827 presumably healthy individuals were further selected based on clinical criteria (n = 740), clinical criteria plus cardiac imaging including stress magnetic resonance imaging or stress echocardiography (n = 726), and extended cardio-pulmonary parameters (n = 626). Blood samples were measured with hs-cTnT (Roche Diagnostics) on a cobas e602 analyzer as well as hs-cTnI (Abbott Diagnostics) on an ARCHITECT2000.