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Pleurisy
- By Niccolo Machiavelli
- Published September 9th, 2008
- Diseases and Conditions
- Unrated
Pleurisy, which is also called as pleuritis is a disorder which is caused due to the inflammation of the pleura, which is the lining of the pleural cavity which surrounds the lungs.
The result can be “painful respiration” which is also known as the pleuritic chest pain. Pleurisy can be caused by a lot of infectious and non-infectious reasons.
This particular condition can make breathing extremely painful as well as a difficult task to perform. Pleurisy.
The outer layer of the pleura covers the inside area of the chest wall, and the interior layer makes a shield over the lungs. The space which is left between the two layers is known as the pleural cavity. This cavity is lined with lubricating fluid that allows the two layers to slide over each other in the whole process of breathing.
Signs and symptoms
When an assemblage of fluids (pleural effusion) is linked with the disease, then it helps in the disappearance of the pain as the fluid serves as a lubricant. However, this fluid can add pressure on your lungs and interferes with their normal breathing system, causing shortness of breath. If the fluid is filled with infection, then the symptoms can be: dry cough, fever and chills. This infection is called
empyema.
Chest pain: it is the most common symptom as the pain is very sharp, but sometimes it can be a dull ache or a burning sensation.
It gets bad when you take a deep breath, cough, or walk around. The pain becomes mild when you indulge yourself in shallow breaths or lie on the side that hurts. In all these conditions, you must seek medical attention.
Causes
Pulmonary embolism:This occurs when the clotting of the blood takes inside the blood vessels to the lungs. These clots decreases the level of blood and oxygen to portions of the lung. This can even result and can result in death of that particular portion of the lung tissue. This condition is termed lung infarction. This condition can cause pleurisy.
Trauma: if any kind of rib fracture is done or if there is irritation in the chest tubes, then these factors tend to drain air or fluid from the pleural cavity in the chest
Treatment of Pleurisy
The most important factor in getting rid of pleurisy or pleural effusion is treatment of the underlying condition which is the main cause of your symptoms. For example, if the disease is caused by a bacterial infection of your lung (pneumonia), an antibiotic is used to control the infection. But, for pleurisy which has occurred due to a viral infection, then these antibiotics won't work.
The result can be “painful respiration” which is also known as the pleuritic chest pain. Pleurisy can be caused by a lot of infectious and non-infectious reasons.
This particular condition can make breathing extremely painful as well as a difficult task to perform. Pleurisy.
The outer layer of the pleura covers the inside area of the chest wall, and the interior layer makes a shield over the lungs. The space which is left between the two layers is known as the pleural cavity. This cavity is lined with lubricating fluid that allows the two layers to slide over each other in the whole process of breathing.
Signs and symptoms
When an assemblage of fluids (pleural effusion) is linked with the disease, then it helps in the disappearance of the pain as the fluid serves as a lubricant. However, this fluid can add pressure on your lungs and interferes with their normal breathing system, causing shortness of breath. If the fluid is filled with infection, then the symptoms can be: dry cough, fever and chills. This infection is called
Chest pain: it is the most common symptom as the pain is very sharp, but sometimes it can be a dull ache or a burning sensation.
It gets bad when you take a deep breath, cough, or walk around. The pain becomes mild when you indulge yourself in shallow breaths or lie on the side that hurts. In all these conditions, you must seek medical attention.
Causes
Pulmonary embolism:This occurs when the clotting of the blood takes inside the blood vessels to the lungs. These clots decreases the level of blood and oxygen to portions of the lung. This can even result and can result in death of that particular portion of the lung tissue. This condition is termed lung infarction. This condition can cause pleurisy.
Trauma: if any kind of rib fracture is done or if there is irritation in the chest tubes, then these factors tend to drain air or fluid from the pleural cavity in the chest
Treatment of Pleurisy
The most important factor in getting rid of pleurisy or pleural effusion is treatment of the underlying condition which is the main cause of your symptoms. For example, if the disease is caused by a bacterial infection of your lung (pneumonia), an antibiotic is used to control the infection. But, for pleurisy which has occurred due to a viral infection, then these antibiotics won't work.