Association of neutrophil-gelatinase-associated lipocalin with microvascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study

Introduction Diabetic nephropathy and diabetic retinopathy are serious microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus. Recent studies have demonstrated that neutrophil-gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) may be accompanied by these complications during and before the appearance of microalbuminuria. In this study, we set out to research the role of NGAL in patients with diabetic nephropathy and diabetic retinopathy. Material and methods Eighty-two patients with type 2 diabetes were enrolled in our study. Urinary microalbumine and NGAL levels were measured in urine samples over 24 hours. We also studied NGAL levels in serum. All patients went through an ophthalmologic examination. The results were evaluated based on the presence of microalbuminuria and retinopathy. Results There were no significant differences in serum and urine NGAL levels between normoalbuminuric (n = 66) and microalbuminuric (n = 16) patients. We also did not find any significant difference in patients with retinopathy (n = 16) or without retinopathy (n = 66). Conclusion There are controversial findings about the role of NGAL in diabetic patients in medical literature. Standard values of urine and serum NGAL levels have yet to be determined. Our study suggests that NGAL is not a useful marker to differentiate microalbuminuric patients from normoalbuminuric subjects. We also did not find a relationship between NGAL levels and the presence of retinopathy. Additional studies with larger sample sizes will be required to confirm or refute these findings. Copyright (C) 2019 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.