Clinical presentation and aetiology of pleural effusion among patients with chronic kidney disease referred to the Respiratory Unit of National Hospital, Sri Lanka

Identification of pleural effusion patterns among chronic kidney disease patients is helpful in the early detection and management and in implementing preventive measures to reduce the occurrence of pleural effusion in CKD patients. The objective of this study is to describe the clinical presentation and aetiology of pleural effusion among chronic kidney disease patients referred to the Respiratory Unit of National Hospital Sri Lanka (NHSL). A hospital-based prospective study was carried out among patients referred to the Respiratory Unit of NHSL from November 2020 to May 2021. Data were obtained by history taking, clinical examination and from investigation reports. A total of 48 patients were recruited. The mean age was 55.4 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1.5:1.0. About 95% of patients had diabetes or hypertension as a comorbidity. The majority of effusions were unilateral (83%), and moderate in size (58%). About 33.3% of cases were due to transudative effusion and caused by fluid overload, heart failure or hypoalbuminemia. The remaining 66.7% of effusions were exudative. TB pleural effusion, parapneumonic effusion, lung cancer and non-specific pleuritis were the causes of exudative effusion. Many pleural effusions were preventable. Improving access to haemodialysis, infection preventive measures, personal hygiene and improving nutritional status could be beneficial in the prevention of pleural effusion.