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Updated: Aug 17, 2026
Knee Arthrocentesis in Adults
Published on: February 25, 2022
Lymphocytic joint fluid in tuberculous arthritis. A review of 30 cases
Fadoua Allali1, Saoussane Mahfoud-Filali, Najia Hajjaj-Hassouni
1Rheumatology Department, El Ayachi Hospital, Rabat-Salé Teaching Hospital, Rabat, Morocco. allalifadoua@yahoo.fr
Unlabelled:
Several cases of tuberculous arthritis with lymphocytic joint fluid have been reported. This may explain in part the insidious course of tuberculous arthritis. We studied the characteristics of lymphocytic fluid from joints affected with tuberculosis and we looked for specific clinical, radiological, or laboratory test features, comparatively to patients with neutrophilic joint fluid.
Patients And Methods:
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 30 patients with tuberculous arthritis, 20 men and 10 women with a mean age of 47.7+/-21.4 years (10-75) and a mean symptom duration at diagnosis of 25.7+/-27.6 months (2-120).
Results:
Mean joint fluid leukocyte count was 15,181+/-15,635 per mm3 (600-40,000). In joint fluid, neutrophils predominated in 24 patients and lymphocytes in six (20%) patients. Blood cell counts showed no predominance of lymphocytes. No specific clinical, radiological, or laboratory test features were noted in the group with lymphocytic joint fluid.
Conclusion:
We found that a predominance of lymphocytes in joint fluid from patients with tuberculous arthritis was uncommon and was not associated with specific features.
