Jiang Y, et al. - Researchers assessed if the progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD) can be predicted by blood biomarkers. They examined 85 patients with ILD, including 20 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), over a period of 12 months of follow-up. The Klebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) concentration was measured in the serum samples from these patients, at baseline, and after 1, 2, 6, and 12 months. A logistic regression model was used to assess dynamic fluctuations in this biomarker concentration. According to findings, ILD patients with severe respiratory function vs those without had elevated serum levels of KL-6. The rate of poor prognosis and mortality was found to be related to increased biomarker concentrations. ILD or IPF was not predicted by the baseline concentrations. Sequential changes of KL-6 was found to be a significant predictor of ILD progression in the next follow-up as well as to be significant predictors for the progression of IPF, as revealed via logistic regression. Therefore, sequential measurements of biomarkers may have value in disease monitoring and evaluations in clinical management.