Question

Why is there an increase in the levels of TnT or TnI in the blood after a pulmonary embolism? Describe how TnT or TnI ends up in the blood.

Answer 1

TnT and TnI along with TnC together form the troponin complex. it helps in muscle contraction in skeletal and cardiac muscles. Pulmonary embolism is a condition where the artery in lungs gets blocked, due to a substance which travelled from other parts of the body via blood. During pulmonary embolism, the strain in the right ventricle results in tension on the cardiac walls. This can also cause ischemia. This often results in increased troponin levels in blood.

TnT or TnI (troponins) can end up in blood during following scenarios:

-Stroke

-Heart attack (myocardial infarction)

-Acute coronary syndrome

-Severely constricted blood vessels in heart-