Cardiac troponin I release after a basketball match in elite, amateur and junior players

Background: Available scientific data related to cardiac troponin I (cTnI) release after intermittent exercise is limited. It is also of interest to determine what personal or environmental factors mediate the exercise-induced release of cTnI. This study had two objectives: 1) to examine the individual release of cTnI to a basketball match; and 2) to establish the influence of athlete status as well as biological age on cTnI release. Methods: Thirty-six basketball players (12 adult elite [PBA]: 27.3 +/- 4.1 years, 12 adult amateur [ABA]: 29.6 +/- 2.9 years, and 12 junior elite [JBA]: 16.6 +/- 0.9 years) participated in a simulated basketball match with serial assessment of cTnI at rest, immediately post-and at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h post-exercise. Results: The basketball match increased cTnI levels (pre: median [range]; 0.006 [0.001-0.026]; peak post: 0.024 [0.004-0.244] mu g/L; p = 0.000), with substantial individual variability in peak values. PBA and JBA players showed higher baseline and post-exercise cTnI values than ABA (all p < 0.05). Peak cTnI exceeded the upper reference limit (URL) in the 26% of players (3 PBA; 6 JBA). Conclusions: The current results suggest that intermittent exercise can promote the appearance of cTnI and that this is potentially mediated by athlete status.