Clinicopathologic significance of eosinophilic pleural effusions in a population with a high prevalence of tuberculosis and cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To reveal the diagnostic and prognostic significance of eosinophilic pleural effusions (EPEs) and assess their clinical implications.


METHODS
Seventy EPEs from 60 patients among 697 consecutive pleural effusions were investigated from 1996-2005 at Kocaeli University Hospital, Kocaeli, Turkey. Koss and Light's criteria were applied in the analysis, which comprised macroscopic, cytopathologic, biochemical and microbiologic examinations.


RESULTS
Overall, cancerous underlying conditions were diagnosed in 22 patients (13 malignant and 9 paramalignant), 36.7% of EPEs. Benign causes were found in 43.3% (26 of 60) of the patients. Twelve pleural effusions (20.0%) were idiopathic. The comparison of pleural fluid and peripheral blood findings disclosed no significant difference among the various subgroups.


CONCLUSIONS
EPE could be associated with inflammatory, benign, cancerous and paramalignant conditions. A closer search for a definite causes is warranted in the setting of EPEs, especially in populations with a high prevalence of tuberculosis and malignancy, such as in Kocaeli, Turkey, an industrial city in a developing country.
Ozkara
Sevgiye Kaçar
SK
Kocaeli University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Kocaeli, Turkey. emrecan1999@yahoo.com
Turan
Gupse
G
Başyiğit
Ilknur
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003710:Demography; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology