Serum amyloid A as a universal biomarker in lung disease

摘要

We read with interest the article by Vietri et ah, which explored the specificity of serum amyloid A (SAA) as a biomarker of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).1 This study examined the levels of SAA in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, chronic hypersensitivity pneu-monitis, the rare pulmonary Langerhans histiocytosis and sex-matched healthy controls. Patients with IPF had significantly increased levels of SAA (6418 ng/mL SD: 1642) compared with those of healthy controls (4262 ng/mL SD: 2002) and all other lung disease cohorts evaluated. They further demonstrated that high levels of SAA in IPF patients were associated with poorer survival, suggesting that this could be used as a biomarker.