Cardiac biomarkers are important in heart disease where there is damage to the myocardium and myocytes. Interrupted or blocked bloodflow and decreased oxygen cause injury to the myocytes and cell death. As the myocytes become necrotic, their membranes are disrupted and intracellular biomolecules diffuse into cardiac microvasculature and then to lymphatics. From there, these compounds, many of which are biomarkers, enter the peripheral circulation.
Cardiac biomarkers are relied upon for the detection and monitoring of two categories of cardiovascular disease:
- Acute Ischemic Disease -- an AMI is the most serious disease in this category
- Heart Failure
