Troponin I release at rest and after exercise in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and the effect of betablockade.

PURPOSE OF THE WORK In patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy ischemia may occur due to massive heart weight, myocyte disarray or small vessel disease. We detected elevated troponin levels in some of these patients and hypothesized that troponin release would rise after exercise and diminish after betablockade. METHODS AND RESULTS In 5 of 7 young patients (6 males) with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and no overt coronary artery disease we found elevated troponin levels after physical exercise; the peak was between 6 and 9 hours and levels returned to pre-exercise values within 24 hours. Troponin release was consistently diminished after use of a betablocker. CONCLUSIONS Increased troponin release may be present in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and is temporarily enhanced by exercise and diminishes with betablockade.