Diagnostic Value of Serum Cardiac Troponin T, Troponin I and CK-MB in Acute Kawasaki Disease

Yun, Sin Weon

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Kawasaki disease (KD) is a febrile acute multi-systemic vasculitis, which develops into carditis and coronary aneurysm. This study was performed to investigate cardiac troponin T (cTnT), troponin I (cTnI) and creatinine kinase-MB fraction (CK-MB) for diagnostic and prognostic value in acute KD before IVGG (intravenous gamma globulin).
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
The KD group comprised of 45 patients hospitalized between Jan. 2000 and Jul. 2003, with 25 non KD febrile illness subjects as controls. The KD group was subdivided into groups A (persistent normal coronary artery, n=20), B (abnormal coronary artery, n=19) and C (carditis, n=6) according to the initial echocardiography. The cTnT, cTnI and CK-MB levels were measured and compared.
RESULTS
Comparing the KD and control subjects, the cTnT (0.0101+/-0.0030 vs. 0.0090+/-0.0000 ng/mL, p=0.025) and cTnI (0.0662+/-0.0581 vs. 0.0143+/-0.0112 ng/mL, p=0.000) were significantly elevated in the KD patients. However, all the data were within normal reference ranges. In a comparison among the KD groups, the number of infants, total fever duration and IVGG re-treatment were significantly higher in group B (p=0.021, 0.046 and 0.007, respectively). There were no significant differences in the cTnT, cTnI and CK-MB levels between the 3 groups. The CK-MB and cTnI levels were slightly elevated in group B compare to groups A+C, but these were not statistically significant. The CK-MB, cTnT and cTnI levels were slightly elevated in those with cardiac abnormalities (groups B+C) compare to group A, but these were not significant. The cTnT and cTnI levels were significantly decreased in the subacute phase (p=0.034 and 0.000, respectively).
CONCLUSION
The levels of cTnT, cTnI, CK-MB were not very useful tools for detecting and predicting subsequent cardiac damage in KD patients. However, the cTnI level appears to be a more sensitive marker than the cTnT or CK-MB levels in KD patients.