Adenosine Deaminase In Synovial Fluid - A Useful Diagnostic Tool For Suspect Tuberculosis

Osteoarticular tuberculosis remains a common problem in India. The clinical diagnosis is often delayed, by which time irreparable damage is done to the tissues. To determine the efficacy of Adenosine Deaminase levels as a diagnostic tool in suspect tuberculosis, 36 cases of synovial effusions of varied aetiology were studied. With a sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 81.25%, estimation of Adenosine Deaminase levels offer a simple, cheap method of diagnosing synovial effusion of ‘suspect’ tuberculosis aetiology.