Utility of Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin and Emerging Lung Injury: Correspondence.

We would like to share ideas on the publication “The Utility of Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin in the Detection of Emerging Lung Injury due to Mechanical Ventilation in Children: A Preliminary Study.”[1] Kocaoğlu[1] concluded that “neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin may be a useful biomarker for emerging lung injuries due to mechanical ventilation in critically ill children and deserves to be investigated.” We agree that the neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin might be a useful biomarker. However, as Kocaoğlu already noted, further studies are required. We should be concerned with the possible effect of other conditions that might alter neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin. For example, in an endemic area of hemoglobinopathy, including some areas of Turkey, the neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin is altered in pediatric cases with underlying thalassemia.[2]