High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and risk of dementia: the 25-year longitudinal Whitehall II study
Authors' conclusion
Subclinical myocardial injury at midlife was associated with higher dementia risk in later life.
Study context
- Population
- Whitehall II participants aged 45–69 with hs-cTnI measured at baseline (1997–99), followed until March 2023nested case-control n = 3475
- Participants
- 5,985 participants
- Exposure
- Higher vs lower high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I at midlife
- Outcome
- Incident dementia
- Follow-up
- Median 24.8 years
Methodological detailsnested case-control sample for backward trajectory analysis
- Nested case-control sample for backward trajectory analysis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Dementia cases
606
10.1%
Higher dementia risk per doubling of cardiac troponin
10%
95% CI 3%–17%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Cognitive trajectory
- Faster cognitive decline with increased cardiac troponin at baseline
Backward troponin trajectory (nested case-control: 695 dementia cases, 2780 matched controls) · 7 to 25 years before diagnosis
- Increased cardiac troponin in dementia cases vs those without dementia between 7 and 25 years before diagnosis
Brain MRI 15 years later, troponin > 5.2 ng/L vs < 2.5 ng/L
- Lower grey matter volume, equivalent ageing effect (years)
- 2.7
- Higher hippocampal atrophy, equivalent ageing effect (years)
- 3
Original publication
High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and risk of dementia: the 25-year longitudinal Whitehall II study. Eur Heart J. Published 6 November 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →