We thank Drs. Lippi and Cervellin for their interest in our study (1). Although leukocyte count was not measured at the 1992 through 1996 Rancho Bernardo study visit, 802 (58%) of the 1,393 individuals in our study did undergo leukocyte count measurement in a previous visit approximately 4 years earlier. In these individuals, the correlation between potentially log (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin) and leukocyte count was only 0.14. We repeated the multivariable Cox proportional hazard models with leukocyte count included as a covariate, and the results were essentially unchanged, with only a very slight attenuation of the risk estimates. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin was still a strong, independent predictor of cardiovascular disease death and of the combined cardiovascular end point in fully adjusted models that included leukocyte count. In addition, the association with all-cause mortality remained significant in models adjusted for age, sex, and leukocyte count, with borderline significance after adjusting further for other risk factors. Thus, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin seems to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality in older community-dwelling adults, independent of leukocyte count as well as traditional risk factors and renal function.