Premium
Serum KL‐6 levels in pediatric patients: Reference values for children and levels in pneumonia, asthma, and measles patients
Author(s) -
Imai Takehide,
Takase Masato,
Takeda Sachiyo,
Kougo Toshiaki
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
pediatric pulmonology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.866
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1099-0496
pISSN - 8755-6863
DOI - 10.1002/ppul.10044
Subject(s) - medicine , asthma , measles , pneumonia , respiratory disease , bronchiolitis , immunology , gastroenterology , pediatrics , respiratory system , lung , vaccination
Serum KL‐6 reflects alveolar damage and regeneration of type II pneumocytes, indicating disease activity in various interstitial lung diseases. We conducted a descriptive and observational multiple case‐control study to determine the distribution of serum KL‐6 levels in pediatric patients with or without respiratory diseases. Subjects were recruited from the patients of a teaching hospital in the suburb of Tokyo. A consecutive series of 401 children (0–16 years old) underwent blood sampling for many clinical reasons. They comprised the following four groups: pneumonia (n = 96), bronchial asthma (n = 101), measles (n = 102), and nonrespiratory diseases (n = 102) as a control group. Standard upper limits of serum KL‐6 in a group of children with nonrespiratory disease were 250 U/mL, or half the adult level. No gender or age differences were observed. Elevated serum KL‐6 concentrations were observed in severe pneumonia, acute exacerbations of asthma, and measles pneumonia. In the measles group, KL‐6 values reflected the presence and severity of complicating pneumonia. We conclude that serum KL‐6 levels exceeding 250 U/mL were rarely observed in children without respiratory diseases. In contrast, a substantial proportion of children with common respiratory diseases showed mild to moderate increases in serum KL‐6 levels. Elevated serum KL‐6 in these children may reflect the presence of alveolar damage, followed by regeneration of type II pneumocytes. However, in order to use serum KL‐6 as a marker of interstitial lung diseases in children, a cutoff level should be determined separately. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2002; 33:135–141. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.