Duration of Elevated Heart Rate Is an Important Predictor of Exercise‐Induced Troponin Elevation

Abstract

Background The precise mechanisms causing cardiac troponin ( cT n) increase after exercise remain to be determined. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of heart rate (HR) on exercise‐induced cT n increase by using sports watch data from a large bicycle competition. Methods and Results Participants were recruited from NEEDED (North Sea Race Endurance Exercise Study). All completed a 91‐km recreational mountain bike race (North Sea Race). Clinical status, ECG , blood pressure, and blood samples were obtained 24 hours before and 3 and 24 hours after the race. Participants (n=177) were, on average, 44 years old; 31 (18%) were women. Both cTnI and cTnT increased in all individuals, reaching the highest level (of the 3 time points assessed) at 3 hours after the race ( P <0.001). In multiple regression models, the duration of exercise with an HR >150 beats per minute was a significant predictor of both cTnI and cTnT , at both 3 and 24 hours after exercise. Neither mean HR nor mean HR in percentage of maximum HR was a significant predictor of the cT n response at 3 and 24 hours after exercise. Conclusions The duration of elevated HR is an important predictor of physiological exercise‐induced cT n elevation. Clinical Trial Registration URL : https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ . Unique identifier: NCT 02166216.