Citopatología y bioquímica del líquido pleural reumatoideo. A propósito de un caso

Among the various pleuropulmonary complications of rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid pleurisy is the most commonly observed¹, occurring in up to 5% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The majority of these correspond to a subtype composed mainly of middle-aged men with high rheumatoid factor titres, rheumatoid nodules, and presence of HLA-B8 and Dw3. Although rheumatoid pleural effusion generally presents as a non-specific exudate, laboratory characteristics have been described that, although infrequent, can be very useful in its diagnosis.