Pleural effusion in sarcoidosis patients

Abstract

The article presents the review of 62 publications which demonstrated that 1.1-16.7% of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis develop plural effusion. Data from thoracoscopic examinations with pleural biopsy in sarcoidosis revealed damage to both the visceral and parietal pleura which manifested through hydrothorax, chylothorax, and hemothorax. Among patients with pleural effusions of various etiology, pleural sarcoidosis is detected in 1.5-4.0% of cases. However, pleural effusion in patients with sarcoidosis can also be caused by concomitant diseases (tuberculosis, mycosis, cardiac, renal, and hepatic failures, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, and oncological diseases). In this regard, it is advisable to perform morphological verification for the etiological diagnosis of pleural effusion in sarcoidosis patients.