Influência do sexo dos doentes sobre a atividade da adenosina desaminase na tuberculose pleural. The influence of sex of the patients in the activity of adenosine deaminase in pleural tuberculosis.

despite the high sensitivity and specificity of adenosine deaminase (L-ADA) for diagnosis of pleural tuber- culosis it is not well known the influence of the sex in the activity of this enzyme in tuberculosis pleural fluid. The aim of this study was to evaluate a possible relationship between the L-ADA and the sex of the patients with pleural tuberculosis. Methodology: 122 patients with confirmed diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis (between 1994 and 2000) by Pleural Liquid Research Laboratory from Federal Fluminense University in Niteroi City, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test (Z) after Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for normal distribution in each group. Spearman's coefficient for correlation test. Results: male patients represented 80.0% with an arithmetic mean L-ADA activity of 76.1U/L, a coefficient of variation of 66.7% and standard deviation (SD) of 50.79. Arithmetic mean of L-ADA activity in feminine sex was 66.12; SD was 48.49 and coefficient of variation was 73.3%. Z = -1.3066 (p=0.1913). Spearman's coefficient was 0.119 (p=0.1913). Conclusion: the L-ADA activity in patients with pleural tuberculosis does not depend on the sex.