Diagnostic Value of Serum KL-6 in Interstitial Lung Diseases

Objective: To explore serum KL-6 level and investigate its diagnostic value in interstitial lung diseases (ILDs).Methods: Serum KL-6 level was measured using the chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay.Statistical analysis was performed for determining the KL-6 concentration of each group.Results: KL-6 level (U/mL) in the ILD group was 1388.321±1943.116,which was higher than that in the control group, showing a significant statistical difference.ROC curve analysis based on the receiver operating characteristic curve showed the optimal cut-off value of 402.5U/mL, sensitivity of 77.4%, specificity of 93.4%, and accuracy of 89.4%; through Chi-square test with the two groups, the positive rate of KL-6 in patients with ILD was proved to be significantly higher than that in the control group.KL-6 level was 1063.00±504.757 in the idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) group, 1346.892±1827.252 in the connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD) group, 467.889±288.859 in the organizing pneumonia (OP) group, 8252.333±6050.625 in the pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) group, and 359.200±392.707 in the sarcoidosis group.The rank sum test showed that the differences were statistically significant.KL-6 level was the lowest in the sarcoidosis group, followed by that in the OP group. Conclusion:Serum KL-6 level was confirmed to be highly sensitive, specific, and accurate in the diagnosis of ILD.Subgroup analysis showed that the KL-6 level was the lowest in the sarcoidosis group, followed by that in the OP group.