The distribution of cardiac troponin I in a population of healthy children: Lessons for adults

Objectives: To describe the distribution of hs-cTnI in a large cohort of healthy children. Design and methods: As part of the LOOK study, blood was collected from a large cohort of healthy children on 3 separate occasions when the children were aged 8, 10 and 12. years. Samples were stored at - 80 °C after collection and assayed after 1 freeze-thaw cycle using a pre-commercial release hs-cTnI assay from Abbott Diagnostics. Results: More than 98% of the 12. year-old children had cTnI above the LoD of 1.0. ng/L. For the 212 boys the central 95% of results was distributed in a Gaussian fashion. For the 237 girls, the initial analysis was non-Gaussian, but after the elimination of 2 results, the pattern for girls was also Gaussian. Conclusions: In healthy children, cTnI is present in a Gaussian distribution. Even minor illnesses can cause some troponin release, distorting this Gaussian distribution.