Serum KL-6 levels predict clinical outcomes and are associated withMUC1polymorphism in Japanese patients with COVID-19

Abstract

BackgroundKrebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) is a known biomarker for diagnosis and monitoring of interstitial lung diseases. However, the role of serum KL-6 and the mucin 1 (MUC1) variant (rs4072037) in COVID-19 outcomes remains to be elucidated. We aimed to evaluate the relationships among serum KL-6 levels, critical outcomes and theMUC1variant in Japanese patients with COVID-19.MethodsThis is a secondary analysis of a multicentre retrospective study using data from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force collected from February 2020 to November 2021, including 2226 patients with COVID-19 whose serum KL-6 levels were measured. An optimal serum KL-6 level cut-off to predict critical outcomes was determined and used for multivariable logistic regression analysis. Furthermore, the relationship among the allele dosage of theMUC1variant, calculated from single nucleotide polymorphism typing data of genome-wide association studies using the imputation method, serum KL-6 levels and COVID-19 critical outcomes was evaluated.ResultsSerum KL-6 levels were significantly higher in patients with COVID-19 with critical outcomes (511±442 U/mL) than those without (279±204 U/mL) (p<0.001). Serum KL-6 levels ≥304 U/mL independently predicted critical outcomes (adjusted OR (aOR) 3.47, 95% CI 2.44 to 4.95). Moreover, multivariable logistic regression analysis with age and sex indicated that theMUC1variant was independently associated with increased serum KL-6 levels (aOR 0.24, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.32) but not significantly associated with critical outcomes (aOR 1.11, 95% CI 0.80 to 1.54).ConclusionSerum KL-6 levels predicted critical outcomes in Japanese patients with COVID-19 and were associated with theMUC1variant. Therefore, serum KL-6 level is a potentially useful biomarker of critical COVID-19 outcomes.