RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Clinical and laboratorial variables useful in the differential diagnosis of pleural effusions secondary to tuberculosis or lymphoma JF European Respiratory Journal JO Eur Respir J FD European Respiratory Society SP p3551 VO 38 IS Suppl 55 A1 Roberta Sales A1 Francisco Vargas A1 Lisete Teixeira A1 Roberto Onishi A1 Eduardo Genofre A1 Caroline Oliveira A1 Leila Antonangelo YR 2011 UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p3551.abstract AB Tuberculosis (TB) and Lymphoma (LYM) represent two important causes of lymphocytic effusions. Due to the similarity of clinical and laboratorial features between these clinical conditions, the differential diagnosis frequently represents a challenge to the physicians.Objective: To describe clinical and laboratory variables capable to differentiate these diseases.Methods: We analyzed pleural fluid of 159 patients with TB or LYM. Clinical (gender, age and symptoms), Biochemical (glucose, protein, LDH, cholesterol, triglycerides, amylase and ADA) and Cytological analyses were evaluated.Results: In both groups there was a male predominance. Age and symptoms duration were significantly higher in LYM patients, while complaining of night sweats was more common in TB.View this table:Biochemical and cytological variablesConclusion: The overlap observed in the results reinforces the difficulty in differentiating these two clinical entities. Although, high proteins and ADA levels suggest TB, the judicious cytological examination is crucial to establish the diagnosis.