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Serum Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin as a Biomarker of Acute Kidney Injury in Babies with Perinatal Asphyxia in Abia State, South-East Nigeria

Received: 3 June 2025     Accepted: 24 June 2025     Published: 28 July 2025
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Abstract

Introduction: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is a major cause of mortality and long-term morbidity. It is a very common complication in asphyxiated newborns. Early detection of AKI in these cohort of patients will positively impact outcome. Serum Neutrophil Gelatin-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a highly sensitive biomarker of AKI. There is paucity of data on the determination of the incidence of AKI in asphyxiated babies using Serum NGAL as a biomarker. Objective: This study was set to evaluate the use of serum NGAL measurement for early detection of AKI in babies with perinatal asphyxia at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Aba. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study done at the Newborn Special Care Unit of ABSUTH, Aba, Nigeria. Serum NGAL estimation was done within the first six hours of delivery. Also, serum creatinine was done daily for the first week of admission. Results: A total of 155 term neonates with perinatal asphyxia were studied. The male to female ratio was 1.06:1. Among these neonates, 43.9% had mild, 29.0% had moderate and 27.1% had severe perinatal asphyxia respectively. The mean serum NGAL concentration in those with mild, moderate and severe perinatal asphyxia were 345.3ng/ml, 673.1ng/ml, and 866.1ng/ml, respectively. A statistically significant difference was observed in these mean serum NGAL concentrations (p value<0.05). The serum NGAL levels increased with the increasing severity of AKI. There was a higher serum NGAL concentration with a mean of 614.00±22ng/ml in patients with AKI (P<0.05). A cut-off value of 270ng/ml for serum NGAL using the receiver operating curve could detect AKI in asphyxiated neonates, with a sensitivity of 99.3%. The area under the curve of 1.0 was statistically significant. (p = 0.001) Conclusion: Serum NGAL is a highly sensitive biomarker of AKI. Serum NGAL levels measured within the first six hours after birth is elevated in patients with AKI. NGAL estimation in the first 6 hours of the birth of asphyxiated neonates is recommended for early detection of AKI.

Published in American Journal of Pediatrics (Volume 11, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajp.20251103.17
Page(s) 156-165
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

AKI, Serum NGAL, Serum Creatinine, Neonatal, Asphyxia, ABSUTH

References
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    Ijeoma, S., Okoronkwo, N., Eke, F., Chapp-Jumbo, A., Ekeleme, N., et al. (2025). Serum Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin as a Biomarker of Acute Kidney Injury in Babies with Perinatal Asphyxia in Abia State, South-East Nigeria. American Journal of Pediatrics, 11(3), 156-165. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20251103.17

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    ACS Style

    Ijeoma, S.; Okoronkwo, N.; Eke, F.; Chapp-Jumbo, A.; Ekeleme, N., et al. Serum Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin as a Biomarker of Acute Kidney Injury in Babies with Perinatal Asphyxia in Abia State, South-East Nigeria. Am. J. Pediatr. 2025, 11(3), 156-165. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20251103.17

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    AMA Style

    Ijeoma S, Okoronkwo N, Eke F, Chapp-Jumbo A, Ekeleme N, et al. Serum Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin as a Biomarker of Acute Kidney Injury in Babies with Perinatal Asphyxia in Abia State, South-East Nigeria. Am J Pediatr. 2025;11(3):156-165. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20251103.17

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajp.20251103.17,
      author = {Stella Ijeoma and Nneka Okoronkwo and Felicia Eke and Assumpta Chapp-Jumbo and Ngozichukwu Ekeleme and Carol Iwuoha},
      title = {Serum Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin as a Biomarker of Acute Kidney Injury in Babies with Perinatal Asphyxia in Abia State, South-East Nigeria
     },
      journal = {American Journal of Pediatrics},
      volume = {11},
      number = {3},
      pages = {156-165},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajp.20251103.17},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20251103.17},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajp.20251103.17},
      abstract = {Introduction: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is a major cause of mortality and long-term morbidity. It is a very common complication in asphyxiated newborns. Early detection of AKI in these cohort of patients will positively impact outcome. Serum Neutrophil Gelatin-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a highly sensitive biomarker of AKI. There is paucity of data on the determination of the incidence of AKI in asphyxiated babies using Serum NGAL as a biomarker. Objective: This study was set to evaluate the use of serum NGAL measurement for early detection of AKI in babies with perinatal asphyxia at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Aba. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study done at the Newborn Special Care Unit of ABSUTH, Aba, Nigeria. Serum NGAL estimation was done within the first six hours of delivery. Also, serum creatinine was done daily for the first week of admission. Results: A total of 155 term neonates with perinatal asphyxia were studied. The male to female ratio was 1.06:1. Among these neonates, 43.9% had mild, 29.0% had moderate and 27.1% had severe perinatal asphyxia respectively. The mean serum NGAL concentration in those with mild, moderate and severe perinatal asphyxia were 345.3ng/ml, 673.1ng/ml, and 866.1ng/ml, respectively. A statistically significant difference was observed in these mean serum NGAL concentrations (p valueConclusion: Serum NGAL is a highly sensitive biomarker of AKI. Serum NGAL levels measured within the first six hours after birth is elevated in patients with AKI. NGAL estimation in the first 6 hours of the birth of asphyxiated neonates is recommended for early detection of AKI.},
     year = {2025}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Serum Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin as a Biomarker of Acute Kidney Injury in Babies with Perinatal Asphyxia in Abia State, South-East Nigeria
     
    AU  - Stella Ijeoma
    AU  - Nneka Okoronkwo
    AU  - Felicia Eke
    AU  - Assumpta Chapp-Jumbo
    AU  - Ngozichukwu Ekeleme
    AU  - Carol Iwuoha
    Y1  - 2025/07/28
    PY  - 2025
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20251103.17
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajp.20251103.17
    T2  - American Journal of Pediatrics
    JF  - American Journal of Pediatrics
    JO  - American Journal of Pediatrics
    SP  - 156
    EP  - 165
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2472-0909
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20251103.17
    AB  - Introduction: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is a major cause of mortality and long-term morbidity. It is a very common complication in asphyxiated newborns. Early detection of AKI in these cohort of patients will positively impact outcome. Serum Neutrophil Gelatin-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a highly sensitive biomarker of AKI. There is paucity of data on the determination of the incidence of AKI in asphyxiated babies using Serum NGAL as a biomarker. Objective: This study was set to evaluate the use of serum NGAL measurement for early detection of AKI in babies with perinatal asphyxia at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Aba. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study done at the Newborn Special Care Unit of ABSUTH, Aba, Nigeria. Serum NGAL estimation was done within the first six hours of delivery. Also, serum creatinine was done daily for the first week of admission. Results: A total of 155 term neonates with perinatal asphyxia were studied. The male to female ratio was 1.06:1. Among these neonates, 43.9% had mild, 29.0% had moderate and 27.1% had severe perinatal asphyxia respectively. The mean serum NGAL concentration in those with mild, moderate and severe perinatal asphyxia were 345.3ng/ml, 673.1ng/ml, and 866.1ng/ml, respectively. A statistically significant difference was observed in these mean serum NGAL concentrations (p valueConclusion: Serum NGAL is a highly sensitive biomarker of AKI. Serum NGAL levels measured within the first six hours after birth is elevated in patients with AKI. NGAL estimation in the first 6 hours of the birth of asphyxiated neonates is recommended for early detection of AKI.
    VL  - 11
    IS  - 3
    ER  - 

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