Role of troponin in COVID-19 pandemic: a review of literature

A. Piccioni, M. Brigida, V. Loria, C. Zanza, Y. Longhitano, R. Zaccaria, S. Racco, A. Gasbarrini, V. Ojetti, F. Franceschi, M. Candelli

Emergency Department Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCSS, Rome, Italy. andrea.piccioni@unicatt.it

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• Infectious Diseases

Acute SARS-CoV-2 respiratory disease is an infectious respiratory disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 belonging to the coronaviridae family. A pandemic is still present as of May 2020.

In addition to causing pneumonia, SARS-CoV-2 may induce a direct damage to the heart, causing myocarditis, with significant impairment of cardiac contractility, and/or pericarditis. Elderly patients and those with cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus, are at increased risk of heart complications from COVID-19.

In this review, we focused on the correlation between COVID-19 infection and the high sensitivity troponin T and I, and their significance in the development of myocarditis.

Data emerging from the studies so far conducted indicate that a high value of high-sensitivity troponin represents a negative prognostic indicator when associated with heart damage on an infectious-inflammatory basis (i.e. myopericarditis). We should identify a safe and clear diagnostic algorithm, possibly combining patient clinical history, troponin levels and cardiac ultrasound findings that could help us in the prediction of myopericarditis.

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