Pleural effusion in interstitial lung disease.

Division of Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine and Allergy, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review reports recent information on the occurrence of pleural effusions in association with disorders that produce interstitial parenchymal lung disease. RECENT FINDINGS: The occurrence of effusions has been expanded to include systemic sclerosis, polymyositis-dermatomyositis, several drugs, and several miscellaneous causes of interstitial lung disease (ILD). SUMMARY: Pleural effusions occur in patients with various forms of interstitial lung disease. The effusions require a clinical evaluation to exclude complications of therapy and coexisting conditions unrelated to the underlying ILD.

PMID: 15316438 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]