Plasma Krebs von den Lungen 6 (KL-6) ranges in patients with aPAP were mostly above those in healthy volunteers and in patients with COPD or asthma, whereas ranges of plasma GM-CSF and of the stimulation index based on whole blood cluster of differentiation molecule 11b (CD11b) and phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (pSTAT5) expression in patients with aPAP were mostly below those in healthy volunteers and in patients with COPD and asthma (Table 2). This evidence concerns the gene CSF2 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.