Abstract P529: Ideal Cardiovascular Health May Mitigate Age-Related Increases in Subclinical Myocardial Damage in US Adults

Background: High-sensitivity cardiac troponins (hs-cTn) levels reflect myocardial damage and increase with age. Even minor elevations in hs-cTn are linked to increased cardiovascular risk. Little data exists on how level of cardiovascular health impacts age-related rises in hs-cTn among individuals in the population. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 6,955 adults aged 20 years or older free of self-reported coronary artery disease and heart failure who participated in the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Hs-cTnT and hs-cTnI were measured from stored samples. Total cardiovascular health was modeled using the AHA’s Life’s Essential 8 metrics (all variables excluding sleep) and categorized as low, moderate, or high. For the distinct participants within each level of cardiovascular health, we compared average levels (geometric means) of hs-cTn across each decade of age. Using multivariable linear regression, we estimated the percent rise in hs-cTn per decade within each cardiovascular health stratum. Results: The mean age was 45 years, with 54% being female and 72% being White adults. There was a stepwise rise in average levels of hs-cTn per decade, however the difference in average hs-cTn in older age vs young adulthood was least for those with high cardiovascular health, and greater for those with lesser cardiovascular health (Figure). In linear regression, those with high cardiovascular health had lesser percent rise in hs-cTnT per decade than those with moderate and low cardiovascular health (13% vs 19% vs 23%, p interaction <0.001). Similar differences per decade between those with high versus moderate and low cardiovascular health were seen for hs-cTnI (17% vs 19% vs 23%, p interaction = 0.04). Conclusion: Level of cardiovascular health may influence the degree of myocardial damage associated with aging. Mitigation of age-related myocardial damage may be one mechanism underlying the cardiovascular benefits of maintaining ideal cardiovascular health.