Table 2 Demographic characteristics and symptoms of the study population.

From: Validation of Calprotectin As a Novel Biomarker For The Diagnosis of Pleural Effusion: a Multicentre Trial

Variable

BPE

MPE

TRANSUDATE

Gender (male/female)

145/78

76/61

41/14

Age (years)a

65 (50.7–77.2)

73 (61.2–83)

78 (69–85)

Tobacco

108 (48.4%)

74 (54%)

27 (49.1%)

Cancer

39 (17.5%)

42 (30.7%)

13 (23.6%)

Dyspnoea

141 (63.2%)

114 (83.2%)

48 (87.3%)

Pain chest

103 (46.2%)

46 (33.6%)

9 (16.4%)

Weight loss

15 (6.7%)

34 (24.8)

2 (3.6%)

Fever

72 (32.3%)

7 (5.1%)

4 (7.3%)

Cough

82 (36.8%)

39 (28.5%)

14 (25.5%)

Radiological sizeb

24 (10.8%)

44 (32.1%)

7 (12.7%)

  1. Abbreviations: BPE = benign pleural effusion, MPE = malign pleural effusion.
  2. Data are presented as a absolute frequencies and percentage.
  3. aData are presented as the median (25th–75th percentiles) (25th–75th percentiles).
  4. bPleural effusion size in the chest radiographs: PE occupying more than two thirds of the chest’ when the PE produced opacification of the entire hemithorax or when the fluid reached the arch of the aorta.
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