title: [Factors associated with pleural thickening in pleural tuberculosis. Review of 99 cases].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze which factors were related to the development of pleural thickening in pleural tuberculosis (PT).
  
  
  METHODS
  We reported 99 patients diagnosed as having PT separated into two different groups according to the presence of radiographic pleural thickening after completing the treatment: normal chest roentgenogram (group 1) or pleural thickening (group 2). We compared: clinical history, chest radiography, pleural fluid analysis, microbiological studies and effects of the treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  35 cases in group 1 (35.35%) and 64 in group 2 (64.45%). All the compared results did not differ between the two groups, excluding a higher incidence of febrile cases, increased white cell count and decreased relative percentage of pleural lymphocytes in group 1, and increased number of cases with hemoptysis, positive sputum cultures in patients with parenchymal infiltrates, relative percentage of pleural lymphocytes and decreased white cell count in group 2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We reported an elevated incidence of residual pleural thickening, but it is unlikely that all the cases could have any clinical significance. We didn't confirm a characteristic pattern. Our findings suggested that a different reaction related or not to the hypersensitivity, rather than the inflammatory response to infection was the responsible for the fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neumología, Hospital Universitario Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haro
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruiz Manzano
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morera
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Manterola
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fiz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Izquierdo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010998:Pleurisy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D014396:Tuberculosis, Pleural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy