ArticlePloS one2022
Increased KL-6 levels in moderate to severe COVID-19 infection.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Diagnostic Utility of Serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) and Surfactant Protein-D (SP-D) Levels in Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis.La Medicina del lavoro · 2026Article
- Combined use of serum KL-6 and respiratory functional parameters for identifying fibrotic lung damage in SARS-CoV-2-induced interstitial pneumonia.Sarcoidosis, vasculitis, and diffuse lung diseases : official journal of WASOG · 2026Article
- Increased circulating levels of SP-D and IL-10 are associated with the development of disease severity and pulmonary fibrosis in patients with COVID-19.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- Unraveling the enigma: The emerging significance of pulmonary surfactant proteins in predicting, diagnosing, and managing COVID-19.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2024Review
- Association of Serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) Levels and Disease Severity in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19.Infectious diseases & clinical microbiology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has presented significant challenges and created concerns worldwide. Besides, patients who have experienced a SARS-CoV-2 infection could present post-viral complications that can ultimately lead to pulmonary fibrosis. Serum levels of Krebs von den Lungen 6 (KL-6), high molecular weight human MUC1 mucin, are increased in the most patients with various interstitial lung damage. Since its production is raised during epithelial damages, KL-6 could be a helpful non-invasive marker to monitor COVID-19 infection and predict post-infection sequelae.
methodsWe retrospectively evaluated KL-6 levels of 222 COVID-19 infected patients and 70 healthy control. Serum KL-6, fibrinogen, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), platelet-lymphocytes ratio (PLR) levels and other biological parameters were analyzed. This retrospective study also characterized the relationships between serum KL-6 levels and pulmonary function variables.
resultsOur results showed that serum KL-6 levels in COVID-19 patients were increased compared to healthy subjects (470 U/ml vs 254 U/ml, P <0.00001). ROC curve analysis enabled us to identify that KL-6 > 453.5 U/ml was associated with COVID-19 (AUC = 0.8415, P < 0.0001). KL-6 level was positively correlated with other indicators of disease severity such as fibrinogen level (r = 0.1475, P = 0.0287), LDH level (r = 0,31, P = 0,004) and PLR level (r = 0.23, P = 0.0005). However, KL-6 levels were not correlated with pulmonary function tests (r = 0.04, P = 0.69).
conclusionsKL-6 expression was correlated with several disease severity indicators. However, the association between mortality and long-term follow-up outcomes needs further investigation. More extensive trials are required to prove that KL-6 could be a marker of disease severity in COVID-19 infection.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.