BACKGROUND: KL-6 is a human glycoprotein secreted by type II alveolar cells in lung, and its serum levels increase in pneumonia of various causes. KL-6 is a member of the MUC-1 family, which is expressed in lung, cornea, and conjunctiva. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of quantifying serum KL-6 levels for diagnosing sarcoidosis in patients with uveitis. METHODS: Sera were obtained from 24 uveitis patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis, 37 uveitis patients with other etiologies, and 138 healthy control subjects. Serum concentration of KL-6 was determined by a human KL-6 electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. RESULTS: The average level of KL-6 in the sera of uveitis patients with sarcoidosis was 387 U/ml. This was significantly higher than in healthy subjects and uveitis patients with other etiologies. The KL-6 measurements identified 45.8% of sarcoidosis-positive patients. When the KL-6 results were combined with serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) concentrations, 87.5% of sarcoidosis patients were identified, compared to 66.7% using ACE results alone. The combined measurement identified 10.8% of the non-sarcoid patients and 0.72% of healthy subjects as positive (false positive). CONCLUSION: Combined measurements of serum KL-6 and ACE may be useful as a screening for sarcoidosis in uveitis patients.
BACKGROUND:KL-6 is a human glycoprotein secreted by type II alveolar cells in lung, and its serum levels increase in pneumonia of various causes. KL-6 is a member of the MUC-1 family, which is expressed in lung, cornea, and conjunctiva. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of quantifying serum KL-6 levels for diagnosing sarcoidosis in patients with uveitis. METHODS: Sera were obtained from 24 uveitispatients diagnosed with sarcoidosis, 37 uveitispatients with other etiologies, and 138 healthy control subjects. Serum concentration of KL-6 was determined by a humanKL-6 electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. RESULTS: The average level of KL-6 in the sera of uveitispatients with sarcoidosis was 387 U/ml. This was significantly higher than in healthy subjects and uveitispatients with other etiologies. The KL-6 measurements identified 45.8% of sarcoidosis-positivepatients. When the KL-6 results were combined with serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) concentrations, 87.5% of sarcoidosispatients were identified, compared to 66.7% using ACE results alone. The combined measurement identified 10.8% of the non-sarcoid patients and 0.72% of healthy subjects as positive (false positive). CONCLUSION: Combined measurements of serum KL-6 and ACE may be useful as a screening for sarcoidosis in uveitispatients.
Authors: G F Blackburn; H P Shah; J H Kenten; J Leland; R A Kamin; J Link; J Peterman; M J Powell; A Shah; D B Talley Journal: Clin Chem Date: 1991-09 Impact factor: 8.327
Authors: N Kitaichi; S Kotake; Y Sasamoto; K Namba; A Matsuda; K Ogasawara; K Onoé; H Matsuda; J Nishihira Journal: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Date: 1999-01 Impact factor: 4.799