Study of plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as an early marker of acute kidney injury following contrast agents

Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common illness among hospitalized patients, which increases mortality and morbidity rate. Creatinine and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) are the most commonly conducted biomarkers of AKI. Objectives: The aim of current study was to assess NGAL as an early biomarker for AKI diagnosis following contrast agents. Patients and Methods: To follow the aim of the present case-control research, 165 individuals were entered the study; 80 patients were selected from Valiasr hospital of Zanjan city, and 85 healthy individuals were enrolled voluntarily. There were not any significant differences in sex distribution among healthy subjects. Plasma NGAL and creatinine were measured immediately before and at 12 and 72 hours post-contrast agents’ exposure. Results: There were 89 males and 76 females in the study groups. The mean age was 61.3 ± 18.2 years and 62.1 ± 17.2 years in the intervention and healthy groups, respectively. The mean of serum creatinine and NGAL level were 1.0± 0.2 mg/dL and 63.6 ±23.6 ng/mL in the control and 0.92 ± 0.23 mg/dL and 110 ± 82.3 ng/mL in the case group, respectively. There were remarkable different between serum NGAL and creatinine in the both groups. The NGAL level in the healthy and the patient group were 63.6 ± 23.6 ng/mL and 100.1 ± 121.7 ng/mL, respectively, which was considerably different between the case and control groups (P=0.01). The highest level of specificity and sensitivity were 86 and 55.5; they could be the main appropriate options for defining cut off. Conclusion: The findings showed, that NGAL level is an extremely specific and sensitive indicator for AKI diagnosis after 72 hours. Hence, this approach can open a novel insight into the AKI therapies.