Serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) concentration is independently associated with mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Abstract

<i>Background</i> - Circulating neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) concentration increases in cardiovascular disease, but the long-term prognostic value of NGAL concentration has not been evaluated in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We examined the association between NGAL concentration and prognosis in patients with ACS after non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) or STEMI.<p><p>

<i>Methods and results</i> - NGAL concentration was measured in blood from 1121 consecutive ACS patients (30% women, mean age 65 years) on the first morning after admission. After adjustment for 14 variables, NGAL concentration predicted long-term (median 167 months) mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10–1.61, <i>P</i> = 0.003) for quartile (q) 4 of NGAL concentration. NGAL concentrations also predicted long-term mortality (HR = 1.63, 95% CI 1.31–2.03, <i>P</i> < 0.001, N = 741) when adjusting for Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (proBNP) and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations. With these adjustments, NGAL concentration predicted long-term mortality in NSTEMI patients (HR = 2.02, 95% CI 1.50–2.72, <i>P</i> < 0.001) but not in STEMI patients (HR = 1.32, 95% CI 0.95–1.83, <i>P</i> = 0.100). In all patients, the combination of NGAL concentration and GRACE score yielded an HR of 5.56 (95% CI 4.37–7.06, <i>P</i> < 0.001) for q4/q4 for both variables.<p><p>

<i>Conclusion</i> - NGAL concentration in ACS is associated with long-term prognosis after adjustment for clinical confounders. Measuring circulating NGAL concentration may help to identify patients—particularly those with NSTEMI—needing closer follow-up after ACS.