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. 2021 Jul-Aug;50(4):481-490.
doi: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2021.02.015. Epub 2021 Feb 27.

The incidence of pleural effusion in COVID-19 pneumonia: State-of-the-art review

Woon H Chong  1 , Biplab K Saha  2 , Edward Conuel  3 , Amit Chopra  3
Affiliations

The incidence of pleural effusion in COVID-19 pneumonia: State-of-the-art review

Woon H Chong et al. Heart Lung. 2021 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

Background: COVID-19-related pleural effusions are frequently described during the ongoing pandemic.

Objectives: We described the incidence, characteristics, and outcomes of COVID-19-related pleural effusions based on the current evidence available in the literature.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Pubmed, and Google Scholar databases using keywords of "coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)," "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)," "pleural effusion," "pleural fluid," and "pleura" from January 1st, 2020 to January 31st, 2021.

Results: The incidence of pleural effusions was low at 7.3% among the 47 observational studies. Pleural effusions were commonly observed in critically ill patients and had Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS). COVID-19-related pleural effusions were identified 5-7 days and 11 days, after hospital admission and onset of COVD-19 symptoms. The characteristic findings of pleural fluid were exudative, lymphocytic or neutrophilic-predominant pleural fluid with markedly elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and pleural fluid to serum LDH ratio.

Conclusion: A well-designed study is required to assess the significance of COVID-19-related pleural effusions during this current pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus disease 2019; Pleura; Pleural effusion; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest None

Figures

Fig. 1:
Fig. 1
Flowchart for studies selected in review of COVID-19 patients with pleural effusions. *Observational studies that reported no incidence of pleural effusions in COVID-19 patients. T Meta-analyses assessing all the radiologic findings observed in COVID-19 patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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