E-ISSN: 2148-5402 | Contact
A rare cause of pleural effusion; yellow nail syndrome
1Department of Chest, Akdeniz University Hospital, Antalya, Turkey
Eurasian Journal of Pulmonology 2020; 22(2): 123-127 DOI: 10.4103/ejop.ejop_74_19
Full Text PDF

Abstract

Yellow nail syndrome (YNS) is a rare syndrome characterized by yellow-thick nails, lymphedema, and recurrent respiratory symptoms. Respiratory symptoms occur due to asthma, bronchitis, bronchiectasis, pneumonia, sinusitis, pleural, and pericardial effusion. Pleural effusion is usually bilateral, exudative, and lymphocyte-predominant. Although about half of patients have pleural effusion, it is not a component of the triad. Two of the classical triad, yellow-thick nails, lymphedema, and recurrent respiratory symptoms, is enough for the diagnosis. About a hundred cases have been reported in the literature and all what we know is based on these case reports. There is no specific treatment for YNS; the goal is symptom control. Here, we report a successful pleurodesis in a 58-year-old male patient with YNS.