KL-6 as a novel marker for activities of interstitial pneumonia in connective tissue diseases.
The objective of this study was to determine the role of serum KL-6 levels as a marker for the activity of interstitial pneumonia in patients with connective tissue diseases. The serum concentrations of KL-6, a glycoprotein produced mainly by pulmonary type II epithelial cells, were measured in 21 patients with connective tissue disease. The activity of interstitial pneumonia was compared with the associated serum KL-6 concentrations. Serum KL-6 concentrations in patients with interstitial pneumonia were significantly higher than those in the controls. Among patients with active interstitial pneumonia, serum KL-6 concentrations following the treatment (after improvement) were significantly lower than the pretreatment values. The extent of the pulmonary fibrosis correlated positively with the serum KL-6 concentrations during the inactive phase of the interstitial pneumonia. These results suggest that sequential measurement of serum KL-6 levels is a new and useful means for the evaluation of interstitial pneumonia in patients with connective tissue diseases.
Fukaya
S
S
Department of Medicine, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan.
Oshima
H
H
Kato
K
K
Komatsu
Y
Y
Matsumura
H
H
Ishii
K
K
Miyama
H
H
Nagai
T
T
Tanaka
I
I
Mizutani
A
A
Katayama
M
M
Yoshida
S
S
Torikai
K
K
D000941:Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015415:Biomarkers; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology*; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011347:Procollagen
D000941:Antigens; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015415:Biomarkers; D006023:Glycoproteins; C060192:MUC1 protein, human; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011347:Procollagen; C041876:procollagen Type III-N-terminal peptide