title: Clinicopathologic significance of eosinophilic pleural effusions in a population with a high prevalence of tuberculosis and cancer.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Kocaeli University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Kocaeli, Turkey. emrecan1999@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Sevgiye Kaçar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Ozkara
authors.forename: Gupse
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Turan
authors.forename: Ilknur
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Başyiğit
mesh_terms: 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