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Updated: Oct 8, 2026

Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
Published on: November 10, 2023
Etiology of exudative pleural effusions in adults in North Lebanon
1Public Health Faculty, Lebanese University, Tripoli, Lebanon. wkalajie.ul.edu.lb
Objective:
To establish the clinical pattern and etiology of exudative pleural effusions in adults in North Lebanon.
Materials And Methods:
All patients aged 21 years and older who were admitted with exudative pleural effusions to the Husseini Hospital, Tripoli, North Lebanon, between 1997 and 1999 were studied prospectively.
Results:
Of 165 patients with exudative pleural effusions, 114 (69.1%) were men and 51 (30.9%) were women. The most frequent cause of exudative pleural effusions was tuberculosis (43.7%), followed by malignancy (32.1%). The majority (88.7%) of malignant pleural effusions were due to lung cancer. Tuberculous effusions were more frequent in the first five decades of life (66.7%) and were the most common type of pleural effusion, accounting for 68.6% of patients younger than 50 years of age. Malignant effusions were more frequent among the older age groups, with 73.6% of patients with malignant effusions being older than 50 years of age. Most types of exudative pleural effusions showed a preference for the right side of the thorax. Of the diagnostic procedures used in the present study, the most useful were histological examination and culture of pleural biopsies.
Conclusions:
In North Lebanon, the clinical pattern and etiology of exudative pleural effusions are similar to those in the developing countries; the most frequent cause of pleural exudates is tuberculosis, followed by malignancy, particularly malignancy due to lung cancer.
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