Cardiovascular biomarkers modified by exercise

Abstract

When managing patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), clinical assessment has its limitations and clinicians usually need additional tools to help with the diagnosis. Cardiovascular biomarkers are one such tool to diagnose the condition promptly and accurately, and guide the therapeutic approach. While physical exercise is recommended for the prevention and therapy of several disorders including CVD, exercise can modify blood concentrations of several laboratory variables. In effect, the finding of abnormal levels of cardiac biomarkers after an acute bout of strenuous exercise has been a cause of concern. However, it is now starting to emerge that levels of some biomarkers outside the normal range in healthy physically active subjects, rather than reflecting an underlying disease, may indicate an adaptive response to exercise. This means that laboratory results in these individuals need to really be interpreted with caution.