ROLE OF URINARY BIOMARKER NEUTROPHIL GELATINASE ASSOCIATED LIPOCALCIN (NGAL) IN EARLY PREDICTION OF AKI IN CIRRHOSIS OF LIVER

Kidney dysfunction is a complex and common event in patients with liver cirrhosis. Although novel treatments have shown some promising results , acute kidney injury remains a major complication of decompensated liver cirrhosis with high morbidity and mortality rates . AKI occurs in up to 19-20% of hospitalized patients with liver cirrhosis and among the most frequent causes are prerenal azotemia (PRA), hepatorenal syndrome and acute tubular necrosis , with prevalence rates estimated around 68%, 25%, and 33%, respectively. The introduction and widespread use of diagnostic criteria of AKI in the area of cirrhosis has contributed to an increased awareness and earlier detection of AKI. However, some important problems remain. One of the main issues is the differential diagnosis of AKI, particularly between acute tubular necrosis (ATN) and hepatorenal syndrome (HRS-AKI). This is important because treatment is different; renal replacement therapy (RRT) is used for the former, and vasoconstrictors and albumin are used for the latter.