Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) as a clinical marker for severe COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analyses

Background: Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) is a molecule that is predominantly expressed by damaged alveolar type II cells, and has been proposed as a marker of COVID-19 and the severity of the disease. Here, we performed a meta-analysis to determine whether KL-6 could be used as a prognostic factor for severe COVID-19. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane and Google Scholar were searched until April 20, 2021, and 7 studies were included. KL-6 was considered as the outcome and pooled in meta-analyses. Results: All included studies compared KL-6 in severe and non-severe patients. Serum KL-6 was higher in severe COVID-19 patients compared to non-severe (n = 6; SMD = 1.25; 95% CI: 0.99-1.5; P < 0.001) and healthy controls (n = 4; SMD = 3.07; 95% CI: 1.36-4.8; P < 0.001). Conclusion: This data collection revealed the potential clinical significance of KL-6 as a non-expensive predictive biomarker in severe COVID-19 and for the categorization of COVID-19 clinical severity.

Automated summary

In this meta-analysis, the prognostic value of KL-6 in COVID-19 patients was examined. The results showed that serum KL-6 levels were higher in severe COVID-19 patients compared to non-severe patients and healthy controls. These findings suggest that KL-6 may serve as a valuable and inexpensive biomarker for assessing the severity of COVID-19.