Cardiac biomarker

Cardiac biomarkers are a **heterogeneous group of molecules**—including proteins, enzymes, and peptides—that are released into the bloodstream when the heart muscle is damaged or under stress. They are not a single molecular target but rather a clinical category used for diagnosis and prognosis in cardiovascular diseases. The most widely used cardiac biomarkers include **cardiac troponins**—the gold standard for diagnosing myocardial infarction—and **natriuretic peptides** such as BNP/NT-proBNP for diagnosing and managing heart failure. Other markers like CK-MB, myoglobin, ST2, galectin‑3, and hs‑CRP provide additional information about cardiac injury or inflammation but have more limited specificity or utility. These biomarkers play essential roles in early detection of acute coronary syndromes, risk stratification after myocardial infarction or during chronic heart failure management, guiding therapy adjustments based on serial measurements in some cases, monitoring cardiotoxicity from cancer therapies, and predicting adverse outcomes such as arrhythmias or sudden cardiac death. However their use is limited by issues including lack of absolute specificity to the myocardium for some markers; variability between assay methods; cost/accessibility concerns with newer tests; potential confounding by non-cardiac conditions; and ongoing need for improved standardization.

Other names

Cardiac markercardiac enzymecardiac proteinmyocardial injury markerheart biomarker (includes specific examples such as troponin, CK-MB, BNP)