Publication:

A study to know the various causes of pleural effusion and role of pleural fluid adenosine deaminase enzyme in tuberculous pleural effusion

Background India has the maximum burden of both non MDR tuberculosis (TB) and Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) TB, as per data reported in Global TB Report 2018 and tuberculosis is remains one of the most common cause of pleural effusions.

Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Department of Respiratory Diseases and a total of 110 patients with pleural effusion were included in the study, which were enrolled for treatment from July 2018 to June 2019.

Results One hundred and ten patients with pleural effusion were enrolled during the study period. There were 65 males (59%) and 45 (40.9%) females.  The overall mean age for males and females were 44.4±18.84 years (35-87 years) and 38.28±17.66 years (35-87 years) respectively. Tuberculous Pleural Effusion group (TPE) seen in 82 patients. Right sided pleural effusion (69.5 %) were more common than left sided (30.4 %). In TPE group the mean pleural fluid ADA level were 86.41±38.08 IU/L (range: 14-195 IU/L). The Malignant Pleural Effusion (MPE) group included 21 patients. In MPE group the mean pleural fluid ADA level were 34.10±32.88 IU/L (range: 8-144 IU/L). The difference in pleural fluid ADA levels between TPE and MPE group was statistically highly significant.

Conclusions Tuberculous pleural effusion was the most common cause of pleural effusion in present study and observed in 74.5% cases.