International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics | February 2024 | Vol 11 | Issue 2 Page 117 International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics Adnan MA et al. Int J Contemp Pediatr. 2024 Feb;11(2):117-120 http://www.ijpediatrics.com pISSN 2349-3283 | eISSN 2349-3291 Original Research Article Pleural effusion in a pediatric ward: clinical feature, etiology and outcome Mohammad Ahad Adnan*, M. Delwar Hossain, M. Rezaul Haque, Tania Islam, Ifthakhar Ahmed, Uttam Kumar Datta INTRODUCTION Pleural effusion is an abnormal collection of fluid in the pleural space. It develops either owing to excessive filtration or defective absorption of accumulated fluid. A primary lung pathology and secondary complication of many disorders can lead to pleural effusion. 1 The lung surface and inner chest wall surfaces are lined by visceral and parietal pleura, respectively. Normally 4- 12 ml of fluid is present in the pleural space, that form a thin layer of about 10 microL thickness. 1,2 In comparison to interstitial fluid the pleural fluid has a higher level of bi-carbonate, lower level of sodium and large molecular weight protein (e.g. LDH) and a similar level of glucose. 3 The process of inflammation of the pleura is called pleurisy, which may be accompanied by an effusion. Pleurisy may be dry, serofibrinous and purulent. The exact identification of nature is crucial in determining treatment option and to prevent complication. Again, the process of fluid accumulation divides the pleural effusion ABSTRACT Background: Pleural effusion is a common respiratory complication in children. We aimed to document clinical feature, etiology, biochemical parameters and outcome of the admitted children with pleural effusion. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2022 to June 2023 at pediatric ward of ICMH. All children from 6 months to 14 years presented with clinical features suggestive of pleural effusion and later supported by radiology and ultrasonography of chest either at presentation or owing to other systemic illness were enrolled. Children aged below 6 months, associated chronic illness and parental denial of giving consent were excluded. In indicated cases pleural fluid was tapped and sent to laboratory for physical, biochemical examination, staining, culture, GeneXpert, LDH and ADA assay. Results: Out of 43 children, 19 underwent pleural tap and rest were managed conservatively. Most of the children were in between 2 to 6 years. There were 22 male and 21 female. Unilateral effusion was found in 25 children and 18 children developed bilateral effusion. All the children had documented fever. Other symptoms were cough, respiratory distress, chest pain, weight loss, abdominal pain, jaundice and blood mixed sputum. Physical signs correlated classical effusion features. The etiologies included DF, TB, para-pneumonic effusion, empyema, nephrotic syndrome, malignancy, acute viral hepatitis, heart failure and acute pancreatitis. There was no mortality and long-term complication in non-malignant cases. Conclusions: DF outnumbered other causes of pleural effusion in recent times owing to recent Dengue outbreak. Tubercular effusion was leading cause among cases undergoing pleural tap. Keywords: Pleural effusion, Dengue, Tuberculosis, Pneumonia, Nephrotic Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Child and Mother Health (ICMH), Dhaka, Bangladesh Received: 09 December 2023 Accepted: 05 January 2024 *Correspondence: Dr. Mohammad Ahad Adnan, E-mail: ahadnann@gmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20240085