Demographics and pleural fluid biomarkers in patients
| Transudates | Malignant | Tuberculosis | UPPE | CPPE | Empyema | Miscellaneous exudates | p-value# | |
| Demographic data | ||||||||
| Subjects n | 40 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 68 | 30 | 20 | |
| Age yrs | 78 (67–83) | 72 (62–79) | 38 (27–52)¶ | 66 (43–78) | 50 (40–64)¶ | 53 (41–72)¶ | 70 (43–79) | <0.001 |
| Male sex | 23 (57) | 17 (42)¶ | 38 (76)+ | 35 (58) | 49 (72) | 22 (73) | 10 (50) | 0.009 |
| Pleural fluid biomarkers | ||||||||
| CRP mg·L−1 | 3 (1–9)¶ | 8 (4–20)¶ | 37 (19–59) | 41 (21–82) | 105 (74–150)+ | 91 (24–141)+ | 25 (9–47) | <0.001 |
| sTREM-1 pg·mL−1 | 4 (0–23)¶ | 18 (4–58)¶ | 96 (61–181) | 77 (36–158) | 279 (145–444)+ | 515 (251–785)+ | 39 (0–95)¶ | <0.001 |
| PCT ng·mL−1 | 0.15 (0.08–0.24) | 0.10 (0.05–0.25) | 0.10 (0.07–0.26) | 0.19 (0.07–0.51) | 0.26 (0.14–0.63) | 0.19 (0.06–0.63) | 0.33 (0.11–0.50) | <0.001 |
| LBP μg·mL−1 | 1.8 (0–3.4)¶ | 4.8 (2.8–6.8)¶ | 12.5 (8.5–15.2) | 10.3 (6.6–15.6) | 25 (17.3–38.9)+ | 17.7 (7.5–29) | 7 (4.4–11.4) | <0.001 |
Data are presented as median (quartile range) or n (%), unless otherwise indicated. UPPE: uncomplicated parapneumonic effusion; CPPE: complicated parapneumonic effusion; CRP: C-reactive protein; sTREM-1: soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells; PCT: procalcitonin; LPB: lipopolysaccharide-binding protein. #: Chi-squared with post hoc analysis of adjusted residuals (qualitative variables) or Kruskal–Wallis test with post hoc Dunn test (quantitative variables); ¶: significantly lower than the respective values in other groups by post-hoc test (p<0.05); +: significantly higher than the respective values in other groups by post hoc test (p<0.05). n = 308.