Pleural disease is common in patients with long standing RA and it is more common in men and coexist with Rheumatoid nodules and ILD in unto 30% of patients. Very rarely RPE has a fea–ture of exudative pleural effusion with high lipids, high LDH and very low glucose and very rarely present with circumferential effusion leading on to trapped lung, here we report a 36 yr obese man with 5 yr h/o RA , chronic smoker , non diabetic, non hypertensive, occasional drinker who present with left sided chest pain and exertional shortness of breath. Search for the cause of chest pain and exertional dyspnea revealed him to be having circumferential exudative pleural effusion with high lipids, high LDH and very low glucose content. HE was treated with chest tube insertion and drainage of fluid.