title: [Etiologies of pleurisies in African milieu. Experience of the Cocody Pneumology department (Abidjan-Côte d'Ivoire)].
abstract: We analyzed hospital files of 614 pleurisy patients at the Cocody University Hospital over a 5 year period (1990-1994). We searched for the main etiologies of pleural effusion in these patients in order to propose an empirical treatment. Pleurisy is involved in 23% of all respiratory patients seen each year. Pleural effusions are observed in 91% of the cases. Clear fluid was observed most frequently (65%), followed by purulent (31%) and hemorrhagic effusion (4%). The dominant etiology was tuberculosis (66%). Non-tuberculosis infections were found in 5% of the cases. Tumoral diseases were involved in 3% and ambiasis in 1%. The cause of the pleural effusion remained unidentified in 24%. In 59% of the cases treatment was initiated without a definitive diagnosis. The incidence of HIV infection was high: 167 seropositive patients (72%) among the 231 patients tested. In conclusion, infections are the predominant etiologies of pleurisy at the Cocody University Hospital (72%) and the high frequency of tuberculosis argues for empirical antituberculosis therapy if no cause is identified.
authors.affiliation: Service de Pneumologie, CHU de Cocody, Abidjan-Côte d'Ivoire.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koffi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aka-Danguy
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kouassi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ngom
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Blehou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007560:Cote d'Ivoire; D005260:Female; D018023:HIV Seronegativity; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D006748:Hospital Departments; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D010998:Pleurisy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D015272:Pulmonary Medicine; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014396:Tuberculosis, Pleural / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents
vernacular_title: Les étiologies des pleurésies en milieu africain. L'expérience du service de Pneumologie de Cocody (Abidjan-Côte d'Ivoire).