CHI3L1 and interstitial lung disease: In conclusion, this study showed that firstly the COVID-19 patients had higher levels of YKL-40 compared to a control population (HS, COPD and ILD) and secondly that within the COVID-19 population YKL-40 was an indicator of the seriousness of infection since it is linked to complications such as admission to ICU, ARF or MOF.