Pleural effusion causes

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Causes

Common Causes

The most common causes of transudative pleural effusions in the United States are left ventricular failure, pulmonary embolism, and cirrhosis (causing hepatic hydrothorax), while the most common causes of exudative pleural effusions are bacterial pneumonia, cancer (with lung cancer, breast cancer, and lymphoma causing approximately 75% of all malignant pleural effusions), viral infection, and pulmonary embolism. Although pulmonary embolism can produce either transudative or exudative pleural effusions, the latter is more common.

Other causes of pleural effusion include, tuberculosis (though pleural fluid smears are rarely positive for AFB, this is the most common cause of pleural effusion in some developing countries), autoimmune disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus, bleeding (often due to chest trauma), chylothorax (most commonly caused by trauma), and accidental infusion of fluids. Less common causes include, esophageal rupture or pancreatic disease, intraabdominal abscess, rheumatoid arthritis, asbestos pleural effusion, Meig's syndrome (ascites and pleural effusion due to a benign ovarian tumor), and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Pleural effusions may also occur through medical/surgical interventions, including the use of medications (pleural fluid is usually eosinophilic), coronary artery bypass surgery, abdominal surgery, endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy, radiation therapy, liver or lung transplantation, and intra-or extravascular insertion of central lines.

Causes by Organ System

Cardiovascular	No underlying causes
Chemical / poisoning	No underlying causes
Dermatologic	No underlying causes
Drug Side Effect	No underlying causes
Ear Nose Throat	No underlying causes
Endocrine	No underlying causes
Environmental	No underlying causes
Gastroenterologic	No underlying causes
Genetic	No underlying causes
Hematologic	No underlying causes
Iatrogenic	No underlying causes
Infectious Disease	No underlying causes
Musculoskeletal / Ortho	No underlying causes
Neurologic	No underlying causes
Nutritional / Metabolic	No underlying causes
Obstetric/Gynecologic	No underlying causes
Oncologic	No underlying causes
Opthalmologic	No underlying causes
Overdose / Toxicity	No underlying causes
Psychiatric	No underlying causes
Pulmonary	No underlying causes
Renal / Electrolyte	No underlying causes
Rheum / Immune / Allergy	No underlying causes
Sexual	No underlying causes
Trauma	No underlying causes
Urologic	No underlying causes
Dental	No underlying causes
Miscellaneous	No underlying causes

Causes in Alphabetical Order

Abdominal abscess Abdominal surgery Actinomycosis Adenocarcinoma of pleura Anthrax Asbestosis Aspergillosis Atypical mycobacteria Blastomycosis Breast cancer Bromocriptine Bronchial neoplasm Bronchogenic carcinoma Cabergoline CABG Central line insertion Central venous catheter Central venous obstruction Chest trauma Chronic renal failure Churg-Strauss syndrome Chylothorax Cirrhosis of liver Coccidioidomycosis Congestive heart failure Constrictive pericarditis Dasatinib Diaphragmatic hernia Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma Dressler's syndrome EBV associated lymphoproliferative syndrome Empyema Endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy Esophageal perforation Everolimus Extensive atelectasis Extramedullary haemopoiesis in the pleura Fetal indomethacin syndrome Francisella tularensis Gorham's disease Haemothorax Hepatic failure Hydatid disease Hypoproteinemia Jaffe-Campanacci syndrome Kaposi sarcoma Lisuride Liver transplantation

Lung cancer Lung cancer Lung transplantation Lupus pleuritis Lymphangiomyomatosis Lymphoma Malignancy Malnutrition Meigs' syndrome Mesothelioma Myxedema Nephrotic syndrome Neurofibromatosis Non-Hodgkin lymphoma Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome Pancreas disease Pancreatitis Paragonimiasis Pergolide Piribedil Pleurisy Pleuritis Post open heart surgery Pneumonia Protein-losing enteritis Pseudo-Meigs syndrome Pulmonary edema Pulmonary embolus Pulmonary hypertension Pulmonary infarction Radiation Radiotherapy Recurrent polyserositis Restrictive cardiomyopathy Rheumatoid arthritis Ropinirole Sarcoidosis Scrub typhus Sjogrens syndrome Subphrenic abscess Superior vena cava syndrome Systemic lupus erythematosus Tuberculosis Uhl anomaly Urinothorax Wegener's granulomatosis Whipple's disease Yellow nail syndrome