Serum NGAL, cystatin C and urinary NAG measurements for early diagnosis of contrast-induced nephropathy in children

AbstractAim: The study investigated a number of biomarkers for the early diagnosis of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN), which is an important cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). Material and methods: The study included 91 children scheduled for elective cardiac angiography and 50 healthy controls. Biomarkers including serum (s) and urinary (u) sodium, serum and u-creatinine, s-cystatin-C, serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and urinary N-acetyl beta glucosaminidase (u-NAG)/creatinine ratio were measured 4 times sequentially in the patients and once in the controls. Results: The patient group comprised 40 males (44%) and 51 females (56%) while the control group comprised 16 males (32%) and 34 females (68%). Age, gender, s-creatinine, estimated-glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), s-cystatin-C and fractional-excretion of sodium did not differ significantly between the groups. Serum sodium and s-NGAL were found to be lower in the patients than those of in the controls, while their u-NAG/c...