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Cardiac troponin test
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A cardiac troponin test looks for a protein in the blood that is normally found inside heart muscle cells. Picture those cells as small containers that hold troponin. When the cells are damaged, some of their contents leak out, raising the amount measured in the blood.
That makes troponin a signal of heart muscle injury. The signal does not reveal the cause, so a high troponin level does not automatically mean a heart attack. It shows that damage occurred and must be interpreted alongside the rest of the clinical picture.
In brief
A cardiac troponin test measures the amount of troponin in a sample of blood.
Troponin is a protein that normally remains inside heart muscle cells. When the muscle is damaged, some of the protein leaves the cells, causing its concentration in the blood to rise.
For that reason, an elevated level shows that heart muscle injury has occurred, but it does not reveal the cause. On its own, it does not prove that the injury is a heart attack.
Sources (1)
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of MedicineTroponin Test
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