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Question:
How do I interpret my multiple, different results of Troponin T tests?
Dear Doctor ... I have made cath/coronary arterial diagram on 25/09/13 and it was normal & clear. On 28/11/13, I suffered acute headache & a bit shortness of breath. They found Troponin T positive 0.154 & they moved me to the military hospital. In less than an hour they found Troponin T is negative. On 3/11/13, I visited my doctor who made the cath for me & he made ECG + ECHO for my heart. He told me everything is normal. He repeated the test of Troponin T for me & it was very weakly positive. Then he told me to go out and everything is normal. On 03/12/13, I repeated the Troponin test & it was positive 0.2. I called my doctor & he told me do not make the test again, you are just afraid. Please advise me .. I am a bit afraid ... thanks a lot for your help.
submitted by Othman from Jordan, Aqaba on 12/06/2013
Answer:
by Texas Heart Institute cardiologist, Scott R. Sherron, MD 
Troponin T can be a very sensitive test & is therefore prone to false positive results. It can turn positive from very minimal stimuli & there are people with chronically elevated values that are perfectly healthy. It can be very sensitive to slight variations in kidney function as well. From the cardiac standpoint, I agree with your doctor. It sounds as though you have had a thorough cardiac workup that was completely normal. Assuming that your renal function is normal, no further testing is likely to be needed.
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Updated December 2013
