DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2016.v04i07.072

Pages: 2643-2648

The etiological distribution of pleural effusions in various series depends on the geographical area, patient’s age, and advances in the diagnostic methods and treatment of the underlying causes. The difficulty in determining the cause of pleural effusion is shown by the fact that in many series “unknown etiology” constitutes nearly 15%.In the west the most common cause is parapneumonic effusions followed by malignancy, while in India it is tubercular effusion followed by malignant effusion and a very few due to parapneumonic. This is an analytical interventional and prospective study done in the department of respiratory medicine, Government medical college hospital, Kota during period Oct. 2013 to Sept. 2014. On the basis of history, clinical examination and various investigation 100 study cases suggestive of pleural effusion were taken from Respiratory medicine ward. The aim of study to make etiological diagnosis of pleural effusion by pleural fluid examination. In our study, we were able to diagnose that tuberculosis was the most common cause of pleural effusion in 73%, followed by synpneumonic effusion in 9% of our study cases. Most common presenting symptoms were cough 81%, fever 74% and chest pain 61 %.The appearance of tubercular pleural fluid was straw colour in 61 (87%), while in non-tubercular fluid colour was light yellow and yellow turbid in 11(42.30%).In tubercular pleural effusion definitive etiological diagnosis was established in 9 out of 70 cases by the presence of AFB in the sputum or pleural fluid or FNAC pleura suggestive of tuberculosis.