Successful Continuation of Peritoneal Dialysis after "Sweet" Hydrothorax

A 44-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease presented with dyspnea on exertion and a vague chest pain about two weeks after commencing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) four months ago. A chest x-ray revealed massive unilateral right-sided pleural effusion. Laboratory analysis of the effusion revealed low protein and lactate dehydrogenase but elevated glucose levels were consistent with transudate and pleuroperitoneal leakage. Pleural glucose concentration was much higher than patients’ serum glucose concentration, which was suggestive of "sweet" hydrothorax because of this high glucose concentration. It is advisable to keep this condition in mind among the differenttial diagnoses of hydrothorax in patients on CAPD.