Does strenuous exercise cause high troponin levels?
Patient: I ran a twelve mile run a couple of days ago. 5 hours later I started to feel funny. Felt a little unstable standing, started seeing spots, felt nauseous, started shaking. Went to Er. Said I was dehydrated. My sodium was a tad low and I have had hyponatremia earlier this year. I had two electrocardiograms that were perfect. No chest, shoulder, arm, jaw or neck pain. They did a test and I had a very high troponin level. Two cardiologist at other larger hospitals would not take me. One even questioned the ER doctor on why he did the test. He said it wasn t a heart attack. I have read that strenuous exercise can cause a high troponin reading. Is this true? I have been scared to death. Doctor: Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.  Troponin is an enzyme produced during muscle damage as in case of heart attack. It is also produced during strenuous physical activities as in your case. prolonged running might caused some trivial damage to your calf muscles and that might have caused high troponin levels. Nothing to worry and no treatment is required. Drink plenty of water and take adequate bed rest.  Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.