Parameter | All | TB | Non-TB | p Value |
---|---|---|---|---|
Number of patients (N) | 77 | 58 | 19 | NA |
Age (years) ±SD | 33.4±12.8 | 30.8±11.4 | 41.1±14.1 | 0.002 |
Male gender (%) | 59.7 | 60.3 | 57.9 | 1 |
HIV-positive, n (%) | 23 (29.9) | 19 (32.8) | 4 (21.1) | <0.001 |
Effusion size | ||||
Small or moderate, n (%) | 39 (50.6) | 25 (43.1) | 14 (73.7) | 0.01 |
Large, n (%) | 38 (49.4) | 33 (56.9) | 5 (26.3) | 0.03 |
Pleural fluid | ||||
pH ± SD | 7.34±0.17 | 7.34±0.12 | 7.34±0.26 | 0.92 |
Protein (g/l) ± SD | 60.3±20.3 | 64.5±17.3 | 47.9±25.5 | 0.015 |
LDH (IU/l) ± SD | 1178±2466 | 947±1425 | 1859±4259 | 0.37 |
ADA (IU/l) ± SD | 88.1±45.3 | 98.5±37.5 | 53.8±52.5 | 0.004 |
Lymphocytes (%) | 62.5±28.5 | 66.8±25.9 | 48.6±32.9 | 0.056 |
Lymphocytic effusion* (%) | 80.9 | 84.6 | 68.16 | 0.16 |
Pleural fluid culture yield for MTB | ||||
100 ml volume, n (%) | 31 (53.5) | 0.75 | ||
5 ml volume, n (%) | 29 (50) | |||
Time to culture positivity for MTB | ||||
100 ml volume (h) ± SD | 329±102 | 0.055 | ||
5 ml volume (h) ± SD | 376±160 |
Continuous data were compared using Student t test as data were normally distributed and equal variance was assumed. Proportions were compared using χ2 test and Fisher's exact test for non-matched proportions and McNemar's test for matched proportions.
↵* Lymphocytes/neutrophils >1.
ADA, adenosine deaminase; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; MTB, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; TB, tuberculosis.