title: Diagnostic evaluation of ascitic adenosine deaminase activity in tubercular peritonitis.
abstract: Activity of adenosine deaminase (ADA) in serum and peritoneal fluid was studied prospectively in 24 aetiologically proved cases of ascites and 10 age-matched controls. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to causes of ascites, viz. malignant ascites (11), tubercular peritonitis (7) and cirrhosis of liver (6). Serum ADA values and peritoneal: serum ADA ratio did not show any consistent pattern in any group. But in patients with tubercular peritonitis ADA activity in ascitic fluid was significantly higher (P < .001) than in the other groups. An ascitic ADA level of 30 units/L had a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 94.1% for tubercular peritonitis. These findings suggest that the ascitic fluid ADA activity is useful for the diagnosis of tubercular peritonitis; this method is simple and least invasive.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Medical College & Hospitals, Calcutta.
authors.forename: V K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
mesh_terms: D000243:Adenosine Deaminase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D001201:Ascites / Q000209:etiology; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000201:enzymology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014395:Peritonitis, Tuberculous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D000243:Adenosine Deaminase