Tuberc Respir Dis.  1990 Jun;37(2):216-220. 10.4046/trd.1990.37.2.216.

A Case of Cryptococcal Pleural Effusion Developed during the Management of Autoimmune Hepatitis

• KMID: 2528503
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4046/trd.1990.37.2.216

Abstract

With the increased use of corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents and the prolonged survival of patients with certain maligant disease, infection by cryptococcus neoformans has received increased attention. While the respiratory tract is the usual portal of entry of the organism, relatively few reports of pulmonary cryptococcal disease have appeared in the literature and pleural infection appears to be recognized even less commonly. Cryptococcal infection must be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with pleural effusion, especially patients with serious underlying disease treated with corticosteroid. We describe a patient with autoimmune hepatitis for long term corticosteroid therapy who developed bilateral pleural effusion. The diagnosis of cryptococcosis was made by pleural biopsy and pleural effusion culture. So we reported this case with brief review of literatures.