Eosinophilic pleural effusions. 1990

M S Lau, and F D Pien
University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine.

We present 2 cases of eosinophilic pleural effusion (EPE) seen recently at Straub Hospital. One occurred in a patient with pneumococcal empyema; the 2nd patient had 2 episodes of EPE secondary to malignant histiocytic lymphoma. Eosinophilic pleural effusion (EPE) is defined as having eosinophils exceeding 10% of the pleural fluid WBC differential. EPE is usually exudative, typically accounting for 1% to 8% of all pleural effusions. Up to 30% to 35% of EPE are idiopathic, while other frequent causes include air in the pleural space (30%), and pulmonary infections (10%). Collagen vascular diseases, tuberculosis and malignancies are common causes of EPE. Although spontaneous resolution and a favorable prognosis predominates in this entity, prudent clinical follow-up is advised. Since the first documented case of eosinophilic pleural effusion in 1984 by Harmsen, clinicians have attempted to determine its significance. This condition is defined as pleural effusion with greater than 10% of the WBC differential eosinophils. We saw 2 cases of EPE at Straub Hospital during 1988.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D010996 Pleural Effusion Presence of fluid in the pleural cavity resulting from excessive transudation or exudation from the pleural surfaces. It is a sign of disease and not a diagnosis in itself. Effusion, Pleural,Effusions, Pleural,Pleural Effusions
D011379 Prognosis A prediction of the probable outcome of a disease based on a individual's condition and the usual course of the disease as seen in similar situations. Prognostic Factor,Prognostic Factors,Factor, Prognostic,Factors, Prognostic,Prognoses
D004802 Eosinophilia Abnormal increase of EOSINOPHILS in the blood, tissues or organs. Eosinophilia, Tropical,Hypereosinophilia,Tropical Eosinophilia,Hypereosinophilias,Tropical Eosinophilias
D004804 Eosinophils Granular leukocytes with a nucleus that usually has two lobes connected by a slender thread of chromatin, and cytoplasm containing coarse, round granules that are uniform in size and stainable by eosin. Eosinophil
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013296 Streptococcus pneumoniae A gram-positive organism found in the upper respiratory tract, inflammatory exudates, and various body fluids of normal and/or diseased humans and, rarely, domestic animals. Diplococcus pneumoniae,Pneumococcus
D015994 Incidence The number of new cases of a given disease during a given period in a specified population. It also is used for the rate at which new events occur in a defined population. It is differentiated from PREVALENCE, which refers to all cases in the population at a given time. Attack Rate,Cumulative Incidence,Incidence Proportion,Incidence Rate,Person-time Rate,Secondary Attack Rate,Attack Rate, Secondary,Attack Rates,Cumulative Incidences,Incidence Proportions,Incidence Rates,Incidence, Cumulative,Incidences,Person time Rate,Person-time Rates,Proportion, Incidence,Rate, Attack,Rate, Incidence,Rate, Person-time,Rate, Secondary Attack,Secondary Attack Rates

Related Publications

M S Lau, and F D Pien
July 2003, Current opinion in pulmonary medicine,
M S Lau, and F D Pien
January 1979, Acta cytologica,
M S Lau, and F D Pien
January 1979, Acta cytologica,
M S Lau, and F D Pien
May 1959, Polski tygodnik lekarski,
M S Lau, and F D Pien
January 1981, Acta cytologica,
M S Lau, and F D Pien
July 2004, Current opinion in pulmonary medicine,
M S Lau, and F D Pien
October 2015, The clinical respiratory journal,
M S Lau, and F D Pien
September 1998, The Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health,
M S Lau, and F D Pien
January 1980, Acta cytologica,
Copied contents to your clipboard!