title: Clinical significance of the serum surfactant protein D and KL-6 levels in patients with measles complicated by interstitial pneumonia.
abstract: To examine the value of surfactant protein D and KL-6 as markers for the diagnosis and the severity of interstitial pneumonia caused by measles infection, surfactant protein D, KL-6 and lactic acid dehydrogenase were measured serially in three patients with measles complicated by interstitial pneumonia as compared to ten measles infected patients without interstitial pneumonia. The serum surfactant protein D and KL-6 levels were higher in patients with measles and interstitial pneumonia as compared to those with measles without interstitial pneumonia. In patients with measles and interstitial pneumonia, the respiratory distress and the alveolar-arterial oxygen differences improved after steroid pulse therapy while the serum surfactant protein D level decreased dramatically under the cut-off level and earlier than the KL-6 level. On the contrary, the serum KL-6 level increased transiently and it took longer to decrease below the cut-off level as compared to the pattern observed for serum surfactant protein D. The serum lactic acid dehydrogenase level changes were between those of the surfactant protein D and KL-6 levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surfactant protein D and KL-6 are easily measured and useful markers for the diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia caused by measles infection. Early decrease of surfactant protein D contrasts with the transient increase of KL-6 levels after prednisolone pulse therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Koshigaya Municipal Hospital, 10-47-1, Higashikoshigaya, Koshigaya, Saitama 343-8577, Japan. pe001@mhp.koshigaya.saitama.jp
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Obinata
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hisata
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tadokoro
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
mesh_terms: D000941:Antigens; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins; D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015415:Biomarkers; D006023:Glycoproteins; C060192:MUC1 protein, human; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins; D037663:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase