![]() Ĭomparison of the above studies demonstrates that the epidemiological data should be interpreted with caution, as they may show significant local variability. It was most prevalent in elderly patients (45% of all causes were in patients older than 80 years of age), while TB was the most common etiology in patients < 34 years of age (52% of all causes of PE in this age group). In one fifth of 3077 patients with PE (20.8%), CHF was diagnosed as an underlying disease. In contrast, a retrospective analysis of all patients with PE who underwent diagnostic thoracentesis over a 19-year period at a university hospital in Spain showed that malignancies and tuberculosis (TB) were responsible for approximately 2-fold, and 45-fold higher percentage than those reported in the United States (27.3% and 9%, respectively). ![]() For instance, a predominance of benign and self-limited underlying diseases questions the necessity of more advanced diagnostic procedures in a significant proportion of patients with PE.Īccording to data from the United States, the most common cause of PE was congestive heart failure (CHF) - 36.3%, while the relative incidence of malignant (MPE) and tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) among all patients with PE was 14.5% and 0.2%, respectively. In this context, epidemiological data on the local prevalence of different causes of PE may play a crucial role in the management strategy of patients with this condition. As some of the above procedures are relatively invasive, it is critically important to properly select patients who require comprehensive diagnostics. ![]() Therefore, causative diagnosis in patients with PE is challenging and often requires not only a thorough clinical assessment but also the use of different imaging techniques, diagnostic thoracentesis with pleural fluid analysis, pleural biopsy and/or thoracoscopy. ![]() This condition may be associated with a wide range of underlying diseases, including pneumonia, tuberculous pleurisy, malignancies, chronic heart failure, liver cirrhosis and many other diseases. Pleural effusion (PE) affects approximately 1.5 million patients per year in the United States. ![]()
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