Pleural Fluid Alkaline Phosphate Levels to Differentiate between Tuberculosis and Malignant Pleural Effusion a Tertiary Care Experience

Introduction: Pleural effusion (PF) is a common clinical presentation in several diseases. Tuberculosis is one of the most frequent causes of exudative pleural effusions in immunocompetent patients. Tuberculosis is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality from an infectious disease in developing countries. Pakistan is ranked fifth in the world in terms of tuberculosis high-burden countries. Various pleural fluid parameters have been used to identify the cause of pleural effusion. It has been discovered that tuberculous pleural effusions had a greater alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentration than transudative effusions. This study used pleural fluid alkaline phosphatase levels to distinguish between tuberculous pleural effusion and malignant pleural effusion because there is little information from tuberculosis-high burden nations like Pakistan. Study Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center in Karachi between October 2016 and October 2017. Material and Methods: The study comprised all patients who were admitted to the department of chest medicine at Jinnah post graduate medical centre (JPMC) of either gender between the ages of 18 and 70 who had exudative lymphocytic pleural effusions lasting two weeks or more included in the study. Non probability consecutive sampling was used to collect data. Patients who have tonsillitis, pharyngitis, pneumonia, asthma, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or a history of hemoptysis, Bleeding disorders like, platelet function disorder, thrombocytopenia, Liver cirrhosis and Pregnant women were excluded. Parents’ informed consent was obtained after being informed of the study’s protocol, hazards, and advantages. Each patient had their level of pleural fluid alkaline phosphate (PALP) assessed. In order to evaluate the patient’s pleural effusion, a pre-made questionnaire was used. All the collected data were entered into the SPSS 20. An independent sample t-test was used to recognize alkaline phosphate levels association with pleural fluid secondary to tuberculosis or malignancy. Results: In this Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study, the total of 156 patients with age Mean ± SD of was 41.96 ± 17.05 years. The majority of patients 110 (70.5%) were male and 46 (29.5%) were female. Advanced age was associated with raised pleural fluid alkaline phosphatase. The difference of pleural fluid alkaline phosphate level between tuberculous v/s malignant group was found to be (38.03 ± 45.97) v/s (82.77 ± 61.80) respectively with P-value (P = 0.0001). Conclusion: Malignant pleural effusions had elevated PALP when compared to tuberculous pleural effusions in exudative lymphocytic pleural effusions;better differences are seen in older ages and shorter disease durations.

The Prevalence of Hyponatremia in Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients, a Tertiary Care Hospital Experience from Pakistan

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major public health problems in Pakistan. Our country ranks fifth in tuberculosis high-burden countries worldwide. Hyponatremia is considered as one of the most common and important electrolyte abnormality in Pulmonary TB (PTB) patients. This study will show the prevalence of hyponatremia in PTB in our population. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of hyponatremia in pulmonary tuberculosis patients. Study Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive study at Jinnah postgraduate medical centre Karachi from August 2017 to August 2018. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all patients with TB admitted in chest ward were enrolled. Patients having tuberculous meningitis, syndrome of inappropriate Ant diuretic hormone (SIADH), Renal failure, pneumonia, Cirrhosis taking medicines (diuretics, ACEI, and ARBs) were excluded. A pre-designed questionnaire was used to assess hyponatremia and its potential causes other than TB. Chi-square or Fischer exact test was used to identify factors associated with hyponatremia. Results: Ninety-six patients with mean age were 40.14 ± 13.02 years (ranging 18 - 65 years). Predominantly, patients were females 50 (52.08%). Overall Serum Na, Mean ± SD was 130.53 ± 6.99 (Ranging 110 - 146). Sixty one patients (63.5%) were younger than 40 years. Forty patients (41.66%) were smokers: 16 (16.7%) had diabetes mellitus (DM), and 15 (15.6%) had hypertension. Sixty-nine (71.87%) patients had hyponatremia of which 45 (73.77%) were less than 40 years (p = 0.375). Diabetes mellitus, female gender, smoking, hypertension and duration of disease were not associated with increased risk of hyponatremia having P Values: p = 0.082, p = 0.39, p = 0.57, p = 0.20 and p = 0.45 respectively. Conclusion: Hyponatremia is associated with tuberculosis and is more common with diabetes, hypertension, smoking and young age.