Cardiac markers are measured to diagnose and monitor cardiac disease. The most common application of cardiac markers is for the diagnosis and monitoring of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, they are also used to diagnose CHF. Cardiac markers can give information on the risk of future cardiac disease and assist in predicting the response of heart disease to treatments as well.
Cardiac markers are especially helpful in situations of a suspected AMI in which the patient's electrocardiogram (ECG) does not present the typical pattern associated with an AMI.
Lipids and lipoproteins were previously discussed. While these analytes do have a high value in assessing the risk of future cardiac disease, they are not considered cardiac biomarkers per se. This is because they aren't produced by the heart and don't directly reflect the status of the heart, rather they simply provide a measurement of future risk of atherosclerosis.
