Diagnostic Value Of Specffic IgG'in Tuberculous Pleural Effusions

We determined the levels of IgG againis myco-bacterial antigen 60 in serum and pleural fluids of 89 patients hospitalized with pleural eğusion and 15 health• individivals choosen as control group, at the Chest Disease Department of Selçuk University Medical Faculty. The cases }vere divided to two group; 1-Tuberculous eflusions (n=24) and 2- Non-tubercolow effiisions tn=65>. Mean serum IgG level »as 0217±032 Ulml in patients with tuberculous elfusions, 1 320±0.19 Ulml in patients with non-tuberculous eftlısions and 0.84±0.18 Ulml in control group. The IgG level of tuberculous effusions was statistically dijferent from that of both non-tuberculous effusions and control group. In tuberculous effiısions, iman pleural fluid anıimycobacterial IgG level (1.70±033) was alsa signfficantly higher than that in non-tucerculous effusions. The specifty and sensitivity of serum antimycobacterial IgG level in excess of 100 Ulml in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy were 51 percent and 75 percent, respectively. The values for pleural fluid IgG with the same out-cffLevel were 65% and 54%. Our study suggesıs that serum specific antibody measurement may be used in destablishing tuberculous efftısions. Pleural fluid antibody level does not oller more information in the diagnosis than serum antibody deterınination does.