Background: Pioglitazone is an effective treatment option in clinical practice for managing type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is challenged by a lot of adverse effects, primarily body weight gain, peripheral edema, as well as congestive heart failure. Case Report: This is a case of a 76-year-old woman with no evidence of cardiac disease, who developed edema as well as bilateral pleural effusion after using pioglitazone. She got a weight decrease and complete resolution of the pleural effusion after stopping use of pioglitazone and rational use of diuretics. Conclusion: Common side effects of pioglitazone have been widely reported. However, little attention was drawn on pleural effusion in diabetic patients with no pre-existing heart dysfunction. In this case, we show the use of pioglitazone results in pleural effusion, with emphasis on the clinical recognition and management.
Keywords: case report; edema; pioglitazone; pleural effusion; thiazolidinedione.