Abstract:Objective To investigate the effect of prednisone combined with standard four-drug anti-tuberculosis therapy (HRZE) on clinical indicators and inflammatory factors in tuberculous pleuritis (TBP).Methods A total of 258 TBP patients admitted to Mianyang 404 Hospital from March 2018 to March 2024 were selected as the study subjects. They were randomly divided into the HRZE group and the combination group by the envelope method (129 cases each). The HRZE group received HRZE treatment, while the combination group received HRZE combined with prednisone. The clinical efficacy and indicators, immune function, inflammatory factor levels, and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups before and after treatment.Results After treatment, the total effective rate of clinical efficacy in the combination group was higher than that in the HRZE group (P < 0.05). The combination group showed shorter symptom improvement time, pleural effusion absorption time, and hospitalization duration, as well as less pleural thickening compared to the HRZE group (P < 0.05). The differences in white blood cell count, neutrophil count, CD3+ T cells, and CD4+ T cells before and after treatment in the combination group were greater than those in the HRZE group (P < 0.05). Similarly, the differences in C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-17 (IL-17), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels before and after treatment in the combination group were greater than those in the HRZE group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the total incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P > 0.05).Conclusion Prednisone combined with HRZE significantly improves clinical indicators and modulates inflammatory factors in TBP.