NGAL Levels as New Biochemical Marker for the Early Detection and Diagnosis of Osteoporosis in Patients with Meningitis

Acute inflammation of the meninges the protective membranes enveloping the brain and spinal cord is referred to as meningitis. NGAL, a protein classified as an acute-phase reactant. We aimed to assess serum NGAL levels in individuals with meningitis in this study and to assess potential associations with the evaluated biochemical markers. A case-control study was conducted involving 120 Iraqi participants (60 individuals diagnosed with meningitis, 60 individuals diagnosed as control). Serum levels of NGAL and various markers were measured in all subjects. Statistical evaluation showed increase in hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, CTX and NGAL levels among individuals with meningitis as compared to control group, respectively (10±1 versus 3.5±0.3, P=0.03), (50±4 versus 13±2, P=0.01), (20±1 versus 8±0.5, P=0.03), (0.8±0.1 versus 0.45±0.1, P=0.01) and (165±20 versus 135±10, P=0.04). NGAL exhibited a strong direct positive correlation with hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 and CTX levels. The present study demonstrated individuals with meningitis have significantly elevated serum levels of NGAL as compared to control group, and a strong direct correlation observed between NGAL and hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6 and CTX. These findings proposed that NGAL expression may serve as a new biochemical marker for the early detection and diagnosis of osteoporosis in patients with meningitis.