TY - JOUR
T1 - Diagnostic utility of pleural fluid IFN-γ in tuberculosis pleural effusion
AU - Sharma, S. K.
AU - Banga, Amit
PY - 2004/4/1
Y1 - 2004/4/1
N2 - Pleural fluid interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels are increased in patients with tuberculosis (TB) pleural effusion. Recent studies from the west have found that estimation of pleural fluid IFN-γ levels is an excellent diagnostic strategy for these patients. The diagnostic utility of pleural effusion IFN-γ level estimation has not been evaluated in patients from developing countries, however. This work was carried out to study the diagnostic utility of IFN-γ level estimation in patients with TB pleural effusion and to define the best cutoff of IFN-γ for diagnosis TB pleural effusion. We studied 101 patients with pleural effusion. Of these, 64 were found to have a TB etiology, established by means of various conventional modalities. Measurement of pleural fluid IFN-γ levels was done by ELISA technique. The median value of pleural fluid IFN-γ levels in patients with TB (1480 pg/ml, range 3-14000 pg/ml) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) compared with the non-TB group (3 pg/ml, range 0-900 pg/ml). The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve for IFN-γ showed an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.954, and the best cutoff was computed to be 138 pg/ml. Using this cutoff for IFN-γ levels in pleural fluid for the diagnosis of TB, sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value were found to be 90.2%, 97.3%, 85.7%, and 98.3%, respectively. Estimation of IFN-γ levels in pleural fluid is a useful diagnostic modality for TB pleural effusion. A cutoff of 138 pg/ml provides the best sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of TB.
AB - Pleural fluid interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels are increased in patients with tuberculosis (TB) pleural effusion. Recent studies from the west have found that estimation of pleural fluid IFN-γ levels is an excellent diagnostic strategy for these patients. The diagnostic utility of pleural effusion IFN-γ level estimation has not been evaluated in patients from developing countries, however. This work was carried out to study the diagnostic utility of IFN-γ level estimation in patients with TB pleural effusion and to define the best cutoff of IFN-γ for diagnosis TB pleural effusion. We studied 101 patients with pleural effusion. Of these, 64 were found to have a TB etiology, established by means of various conventional modalities. Measurement of pleural fluid IFN-γ levels was done by ELISA technique. The median value of pleural fluid IFN-γ levels in patients with TB (1480 pg/ml, range 3-14000 pg/ml) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) compared with the non-TB group (3 pg/ml, range 0-900 pg/ml). The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve for IFN-γ showed an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.954, and the best cutoff was computed to be 138 pg/ml. Using this cutoff for IFN-γ levels in pleural fluid for the diagnosis of TB, sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value were found to be 90.2%, 97.3%, 85.7%, and 98.3%, respectively. Estimation of IFN-γ levels in pleural fluid is a useful diagnostic modality for TB pleural effusion. A cutoff of 138 pg/ml provides the best sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of TB.
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U2 - 10.1089/107999004323034088
DO - 10.1089/107999004323034088
M3 - Article
C2 - 15144567
AN - SCOPUS:1942452717
SN - 1079-9907
VL - 24
SP - 213
EP - 217
JO - Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research
JF - Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research
IS - 4
ER -