Characteristics of the study population
| Drainage group (n=30) | No drainage group (n=31) | |
|---|---|---|
| IQR=interquartile range. | ||
| *Risk factors including oral steroid, diabetes mellitus, liver cirrhosis, subtotal gastrectomy and alcoholism. | ||
| M/F | 19/11 | 18/13 |
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 61.5 (17.7) | 56.6 (22.4) |
| Median time from onset of symptoms to treatment days (IQR) | 11 (9–30) | 8 (7–14) |
| Patients with risk factors* | 11 (36%) | 7 (23%) |
| Pleuritis combined with pulmonary tuberculosis (%) | 9 (30%) | 11 (35%) |
| Initial amount of pleural effusion | ||
| Small | 2 | 2 |
| Moderate | 15 | 16 |
| Large | 13 | 13 |