Tuberculous Pleural Effusion in the Elderly

Background: Tuberculous pleural effusion is the second most common form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. The relationship between the geriatric population and tuberculous pleural effusion has rarely been studied. Methods: This is a retrospective study. From January 2005 through February 2009, we retrospectively enrolled 51 patients older than 18 years of age that were diagnosed with tuberculous pleurisy. We analyzed the clinical presentations and laboratory data of pleural effusion in elderly and adult groups. Results: Of these patients, 32 were more than 65 years of age (elderly group) and 19 were less than 65 years of age (adult group). Chest pain occurred more frequently in the adult group than the elderly group (52.6 % vs. 15.6 %; p