Clinical characteristics
| Overall cohort | hs-Troponin T<6.15 pg/ml (n=98) | hs-Troponin T≥6.15 pg/ml (n=99) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endpoints | ||||
| All-cause death | 13 | 2 | 11 | 0.010 |
| Vascular events | 23 | 5 | 18 | 0.004 |
| Cardiovascular death | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0.053 |
| Acute coronary syndrome | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0.145 |
| Stroke | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0.077 |
| Clinical characteristics | ||||
| Female gender | 81 (41.1%) | 43 (43.9%) | 38 (38.4%) | 0.433 |
| Age (years) | 67±13 | 62±13 | 72±11 | <0.0005 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 27.8±5.9 | 27.6±5.6 | 28.1±6.3 | 0.568 |
| SBP (mm Hg) | 143±22 | 142±21 | 144±23 | 0.478 |
| DBP (mm Hg) | 79±13 | 80±11 | 78±14 | 0.333 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 74±15 | 71±12 | 77±17 | 0.009 |
| Body temperature (°C) | 36.8±0.4 | 35.7±0.3 | 36.8±0.4 | 0.861 |
| Previous stroke | 32 (16.2%) | 14 (14.3%) | 18 (18.2%) | 0.459 |
| Previous TIA | 19 (9.6%) | 7 (7.1%) | 12 (12.1%) | 0.237 |
| Heart failure | 10 (5.1%) | 3 (3.1%) | 7 (7.1%) | 0.200 |
| Hypertension | 140 (71.1%) | 61 (62.2%) | 79 (79.8%) | 0.007 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 43 (21.8%) | 18 (18.4%) | 25 (25.3%) | 0.242 |
| Smoker | 50 (25.4%) | 33 (33.7%) | 17 (17.2%) | 0.024 |
| Hyperlipidemia | 64 (32.5%) | 35 (35.7%) | 29 (29.3%) | 0.336 |
| Coronary artery disease | 23 (11.7%) | 10 (10.2%) | 13 (13.1%) | 0.522 |
| Tsymptom onset (h) (IQR) | 4.4 (2.0–10.5) | 4.5 (2.0–11.5) | 4.4 (2.0–9.5) | 0.465 |
| NIH-SS (IQR) | 2 (1–4) | 2 (1–3) | 3 (1–6) | <0.0005 |
| Modified Rankin Scale score (IQR) | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–4) | 0.001 |
| ESRS (IQR) | 3 (2–4) | 3 (1–4) | 3 (2–4) | 0.001 |
| SPI-2 (IQR) | 5 (3–6) | 3.5 (2–6) | 5 (2–7) | <0.0005 |
| LV-EF (%) | 62±9 | 63±9 | 61±10 | 0.160 |
| E/e′ | 10.5±3.9 | 9.9±3.5 | 11.2±4.3 | 0.024 |
| Stroke classification | ||||
| TIA | 68 (34.5%) | 41 (41.8%) | 27 (27.3%) | |
| Minor stroke | 55 (27.9%) | 29 (29.6%) | 26 (26.3%) | |
| Major stroke | 74 (37.6%) | 28 (28.6%) | 46 (46.5%) | 0.007 |
| TOAST classification | ||||
| Large artery atherosclerosis | 39 (19.8%) | 23 (23.5%) | 16 (16.2%) | |
| Cardioembolic | 31 (15.7%) | 11 (11.2%) | 20 (20.2%) | |
| Lacunar/small vessels | 27 (13.7%) | 9 (9.2%) | 18 (18.2%) | |
| Rare/other causes | 5 (2.5%) | 2 (2.0%) | 3 (3.0%) | |
| Undetermined cause | 95 (48.2%) | 53 (54.1%) | 42 (42.4%) | 1.000 |
| Routine laboratory tests | ||||
| Creatinine (mg/dl) | 0.97±0.53 | 0.86±0.22 | 1.09±0.69 | 0.002 |
| CRP (mg/l) | 6.4±17.3 | 4.5±8.0 | 8.3±23.0 | 0.126 |
| Glucose (mg/dl) | 129±53 | 120±36 | 138±64 | 0.020 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 196±46 | 199±36 | 194±54 | 0.418 |
| LDL cholesterol (mg/dl) | 130±39 | 131±32 | 128±45 | 0.686 |
| HDL cholesterol (mg/dl) | 51±13 | 53±13 | 49±14 | 0.046 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 131±67 | 127±67 | 136±67 | 0.329 |
| HbA1c (%) | 6.2±1.1 | 6.1±1.0 | 6.3±1.2 | 0.093 |
CRP, C-reactive protein; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; E/e′, index indicative of cardiac filling pressures; ESRS, Essen Stroke Risk Score; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; hs-Troponin T, high-sensitivity troponin T; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; LV-EF, left ventricular ejection fraction; Major stroke, deficit persisted after 30 days and increased NIH-SS by >3 points; Minor stroke, resolved completely within 30 days or change in NIH-SS of ≤3 points; NIH-SS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; SBP, systolic blood pressure; SPI-2, Stroke Prognosis Instrument 2; TIA, transient ischaemic attack; Tsymptom onset, time from symptom onset to study inclusion.