PROTEIN-1 (CLARA CELL PROTEIN) SERUM LEVELS IN HEALTHY-SUBJECTS AND PATIENTS WITH BACTERIAL PNEUMONIA

Serum levels of protein 1 (P1), a Clara cell secretory protein, were s tudied in 942 healthy subjects in relation to sex, age, and smoking ha bits and in 117 patients with bacterial pneumonia in relation to progn osis. p1 values in bacterial pneumonia patients at disease onset were compared with those in 234 healthy control subjects matched by sex and age. P1 values in healthy males were highest in those 30 to 39 yr of age and highest in healthy females greater than or equal to 70 yr of a ge but lowest in those 30 to 49 yr of age. P1 values in healthy males were significantly higher than those in females in the 30- to 39-yr ag e group (p < 0.05). Male smokers showed higher p1 values than nonsmoke rs, but without a significant difference. p1 values in patients with p neumonia were significantly lower than in control subjects (p < 0.0001 ). P1 values were significantly lower in patients treated with a respi rator than in patients treated without a respirator (p < 0.05). In 59 patients, whose p1 values could be followed up until the outcome of pn eumonia, all 37 recovered patients showed significantly increased p1 v alues after recovery (p < 0.001), and all 22 who died of their illness showed significantly decreased P1 values just before death (p < 0.01) . We thus conclude that p1 serum levels were significantly affected by sex and by the degree of seriousness in bacterial pneumonia.