Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34649627›Full record

ArticleTropical diseases, travel medicine and vaccines2021

Tuberculous pleural effusion in a patient with sympathetic ophthalmia on immunosuppression: a case report.

Dharshana Thiagarajan, Daphne Ai Lin Teh, Nor Azita Ahmad Tarmidzi, Hamisah Ishak, Zamzurina Abu Bakar, Mae-Lynn Catherine Bastion

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Tropical diseases, travel medicine and vaccines, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Dharshana ThiagarajanDepartment of Ophthalmology, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. srk_dharshana@yahoo.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2713-9171
Daphne Ai Lin TehDepartment of Ophthalmology, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Nor Azita Ahmad TarmidziDepartment of Ophthalmology, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Hamisah IshakDepartment of Ophthalmology, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Zamzurina Abu BakarInstitute of Respiratory Medicine, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Mae-Lynn Catherine BastionDepartment of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Ministry of Health · MYHospital Kuala Lumpur · MY

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) is paucibacillary, making its diagnosis difficult based on laboratory investigations alone. We present a case of a patient with a TPE who was initially misdiagnosed to have azathioprine-induced lung injury. The diagnosis of TPE was arrived at with the help of clinical assessment, laboratory and radiological investigations. CASE PRESENTATION: A 25-year-old chronic smoker with sympathetic ophthalmia on long-term immunosuppression, latent tuberculosis infection and a significant family history of tuberculosis presented with a three-week history of productive cough, low-grade fever, night sweats and weight loss. Examination of the lungs showed reduced breath sounds at the right lower zone. Chest x-ray showed minimal right pleural effusion with a small area of right upper lobe consolidation. The pleural fluid was exudative with predominant mononuclear leukocytes. Direct smears of sputum and pleural fluid; polymerase chain reaction of pleural fluid; and sputum, pleural fluid and blood cultures were negative for M. tuberculosis (MTB) and other organisms. As he did not respond to a course of broad-spectrum antibiotics, he was then treated as a case of azathioprine-induced lung injury. However, his condition did not improve despite the cessation of azathioprine. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the thorax showed right upper lobe consolidation with tree-in-bud changes, bilateral lung atelectasis, subpleural nodule, mild right pleural effusion and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Bronchoalveolar lavage was negative for malignant cells and microorganisms including, MTB. However, no pleural biopsy was done. He was empirically treated with anti-tubercular therapy for 9 months duration and showed complete recovery.

conclusionA high index of suspicion for TPE is required in individuals with immunosuppression living in regions endemic to tuberculosis. Targeted investigations and sound clinical judgement allow early diagnosis and prompt treatment initiation to prevent morbidity and mortality.

Indexed as

ExudativeImmunosuppressionPleural tuberculosisTuberculosisTuberculous pleural effusion (TPE)

Identifiers

PMID34649627
PMCPMC8516487
OpenAlexW3205366912

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.