title: Clinical characteristics classified by the serum KL-6 level in patients with organizing pneumonia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The serum Krebs von der Lungen-6 (KL-6) level is a useful marker correlated with the severity of various interstitial lung diseases. There have been few reports about the clinical characteristics of organizing pneumonia (OP) associated with the serum KL-6 levels.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was performed to determine whether the serum KL-6 levels can help determine the optimal treatment for OP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients diagnosed with OP by clinical, radiological and histopathological findings were retrospectively reviewed. The OP patients were classified into two groups based on their serum KL-6 levels: normal KL-6 and high KL-6 groups. The two groups were compared with regard to their clinical and radiological data and therapeutic response one month after the start of treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The clinical records of twenty-two patients diagnosed with OP were reviewed. The serum KL-6 level was elevated in 11 of the 22 patients. There were no obvious differences in the clinical data between the two groups, although patients in the normal KL-6 group tended to have a fever. There were no significant differences in the chest X-ray (CXR) score or computed tomography (CT) score between the two groups. The CXR scores were correlated with the serum KL-6 levels. At 1 month after the diagnosis, 11 patients who needed treatment with prednisolone were included in the high KL-6 group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with normal KL-6 levels showed lower CXR and CT scores. The serum KL-6 level on admission is a useful marker to judge the need for corticosteroid treatment in OP patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Tokyo Medical University,Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsushima
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kurita
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soeda
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Togashi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kono
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kasagi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Setoguchi
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D018549:Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D015415:Biomarkers; C060192:MUC1 protein, human; D018396:Mucin-1