Document Detail


Diagnostic performance of adenosine deaminase activity in pleural fluid: a single-center experience with over 2100 consecutive patients.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20816597     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic utility of adenosine deaminase (ADA) in a large series of pleural effusions of different etiologies.
METHODS: A retrospective study of 2104 consecutive patients presenting with pleural effusion was carried out at a Spanish university hospital. ADA levels in pleural fluid were determined using a non-Giusti automatic kinetic assay, and a receiver operating characteristics curve analysis was applied to estimate their discriminative properties.
RESULTS: Pleural tuberculosis (TB) accounted for 221 (10.5%) effusions. Pleural fluid ADA >35U/L yielded 93% sensitivity, 90% specificity, a positive likelihood ratio (LR) of 10.05 and a negative LR of 0.07 for the diagnosis of TB among lymphocytic exudates. The ADA activity was significantly higher in neutrophil- (111.6U/L) than in lymphocyte-rich (62.4U/L; p=0.002) TB effusions. Overall, more than 40% of parapneumonics and half of lymphomatous effusions exceeded the cutoff set for TB. These were the only causes of ADA activity above 250U/L. When the prevalence of TB as a cause of exudative effusions is low (e.g., 1%), the estimated positive predictive value of the ADA test may be as low as 7%, although the negative predictive value remains high (99.9%).
CONCLUSION: Where available, pleural ADA should be routinely used to rule TB in or out in areas with moderate to high or low TB prevalence, respectively. A high ADA level is a characteristic not only of lymphocytic, but also of neutrophilic TB effusions. An extremely high ADA activity should raise suspicion of empyema or lymphoma.
Authors:
José M Porcel; Aureli Esquerda; Silvia Bielsa
Related Documents :
3847297 - Exudative pleural effusions secondary to gastrointestinal diseases.
21983007 - Effects of etanercept treatment on lipid profile in patients with moderate-to-severe ch...
16874767 - Pericardial involvement at diagnosis in pediatric hodgkin lymphoma patients.
1729817 - Diagnosis of pericardial abnormalities by 2d-echo: a pathology-echocardiography correla...
20169777 - Predictors of unfavourable seizure outcome in patients with epilepsy in nepal.
17901767 - Role of 99mtc-tetrofosmin delayed scintigraphy and color doppler sonography in characte...
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article     Date:  2010-05-01
Journal Detail:
Title:  European journal of internal medicine     Volume:  21     ISSN:  1879-0828     ISO Abbreviation:  Eur. J. Intern. Med.     Publication Date:  2010 Oct 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-09-06     Completed Date:  2010-12-30     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9003220     Medline TA:  Eur J Intern Med     Country:  Netherlands    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  419-23     Citation Subset:  IM    
Copyright Information:
Copyright (c) 2010 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Affiliation:
Pleural Diseases Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida, Avda. Alcalde Rovira Roure 80, Lleida, Spain. jporcelp@yahoo.es
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adenosine Deaminase / metabolism*
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Biological Markers / metabolism*
Empyema / diagnosis,  epidemiology,  metabolism
Enzyme Activation / physiology
False Positive Reactions
Humans
Lymphoma / diagnosis,  epidemiology,  metabolism
Middle Aged
Pleural Effusion, Malignant / diagnosis*,  epidemiology,  metabolism*
Predictive Value of Tests
Prevalence
Retrospective Studies
Sensitivity and Specificity
Tuberculosis, Pleural / diagnosis*,  epidemiology,  metabolism*
Young Adult
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Biological Markers; EC 3.5.4.4/ADA protein, human; EC 3.5.4.4/Adenosine Deaminase

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Renin angiotensin system polymorphisms in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS).
Next Document:  Prevalence of renal artery stenosis in flash pulmonary oedema: determination using gadolinium-enhanc...