title: Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels in comparison with glomerular filtration rate for evaluation of renal function in patients with diabetic chronic kidney disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a promising biomarker of acute kidney injury. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that NGAL is also a marker of kidney disease and severity in chronic kidney disease (CKD). We studied the utility of urinary NGAL in more accurately predicting renal function in patients with diabetic CKD.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied possible relationships between urinary NGAL, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and proteinuria in diabetic CKD patients and in healthy populations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Urinary NGAL levels were significantly higher in CKD patients than in healthy controls (96.0 [2.7 to 975.2] ng/mL vs. 18.8 [1.3 to 81.9] ng/mL, P=0.02), and the GFR was lower among CKD patients (49.3 [13.1 to 78.3] mL/min/1.73 m(2) vs. 85.6 [72 to 106.7] mL/min/1.73 m(2), P<0.0001). The urinary NGAL level showed a significant inverse correlation with GFR (r=-0.5634, P<0.0001). The correlation analyses between urinary protein level and urinary NGAL levels and GFR were as follows: urine protein and urinary NGAL (r=0.3009, P=0.0256), urine protein and GFR (r=-0.6245, P<0.0001), urine microalbumin and urinary NGAL (r=0.1794, P=0.2275), and urine microalbumin and GFR (r=-0.5190, P=0.0002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From these results, we concluded that urinary NGAL is a reliable marker of renal function in diabetic CKD patients. However, urinary NGAL did not provide more accurate information regarding renal function than GFR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Kwang-Sook
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: Jae-Lim
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Bo-Ram
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ji-Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Won-Suk
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Jin-Yeong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Han