[Adenosine deaminase in the blood cells and serum of patients with tuberculous pleurisy].

The common complication of pulmonary tuberculosis is pleurisy that requires not only special treatments, but also gives rise to difficulties in the differential diagnosis of tuberculosis. The investigation has studied the possibility of determining the activity of adenosine deaminase (ADA) as a marker of pleural effusion of tuberculous etiology. The patients with tuberculous pleurisy have been found to have higher lymphocytic and red blood ADA, and ADA, activities and a significantly increased serum ADA2 activity. Thus, the changes in the activity of ADA and its isozymes have been shown to be specific to pleurisy of tuberculous etiology and to be of diagnostic value.