Which cardiac marker is most commonly used to assess heart damage?

Troponin is the cardiac marker most commonly used to assess heart damage because it is highly specific to cardiac muscle. When there is injury to the heart, such as during a myocardial infarction (heart attack), troponin levels in the blood rise significantly. The proteins troponin I and troponin T, in particular, are released into the bloodstream upon damage to cardiac myocytes, serving as crucial indicators for clinicians in diagnosing and managing acute coronary syndromes.

The sensitivity and specificity of troponin testing are superior to many other enzymes and markers, making it the gold standard in clinical practice for evaluating myocardial injury. While other markers like aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase are associated with liver function and can indicate other types of tissue damage, they are not specific to cardiac tissue. Alkaline phosphatase primarily relates to bone and liver conditions. Therefore, troponin is the most reliable option for detecting heart damage in a clinical setting.