Introduction Tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) is the second most frequent manifestation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB), predominantly characterised by mononuclear (MN) cells in pleural fluid. However, approximately 6.7% of cases show polymorphonuclear (PMN) cell predominance in pleural fluid, often causing delayed diagnosis and treatment, as these cases may not be initially recognised as tuberculosis. This study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics of PMN- and MN-predominant TPE. Methods This cross-sectional analytical study included 60 patients with bacteriologically confirmed TB with pleural effusion at Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital, Makassar, Indonesia. Primary data were collected from patient interviews, physical examinations, and pleural fluid analysis of thoracentesis samples. The diagnosis of pleural effusion was confirmed by radiological imaging and thoracentesis. Patients were classified as PMN-predominant (≥50% PMN) or MN-predominant (≥50% MN) based on pleural fluid cell counts. Results Among the patients, 24 (40%) had PMN-predominant and 36 (60%) had MN-predominant pleural effusion. Significant differences were found between cell predominance and clinical features, including weight loss (p
Said et al. (Fri,) studied this question.