Pleurisy - Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Definition

Pleurisy is caused by swelling and irritation of the membrane that surrounds the lungs. It is also called Pleuritic Chest Pain. This is the condition which is make breathing extremely painful, and sometimes it is associated with another condition called pleural effusion where excess fluid fills the area between the membrane's layers.

There are two layers of pleura: one covering the lung and the other covering the inner wall of the chest. These two layers are lubricated by pleural fluid.

Causes

Pleurisy may develop in the presence of lung inflammation (pneumonia, tuberculosis), rheumatic diseases, chest trauma, certain cancers, and asbestos-related disease. The main symptom is pain over the chest wall at the site of the inflammation. In some circumstances, the pain may be possible in the shoulder.

Pleurisy cases are defined as having pleural effusion or as being dry. Pleural effusion, an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space, is more common, and is essentially a side effect of numerous diseases or trauma. Dry pleurisy refers to cases where there is no fluid build-up. Doctors call this ideopathic pleurisy. Even though the cause isn't known, the problem can still be treated.

Symptoms

You may experience severe, fleeting, sharp stabbing pain in your chest, often on one side only. The pain is increased when breathing deeply, coughing, moving, sneezing or even talking.
Severe chest pain that goes away when you hold your breath
When pleurisy occurs in certain locations of the lungs, the pain can be felt in other parts of the body such as the neck, shoulder or abdomen
Rapid, shallow breathing in response to the pain
Large accumulations of fluid compromise breathing and may cause coughing, shortness of breath with rapid breathing and cyanosis (skin turns bluish).
The sharp, fleeting pain in your chest that pleurisy causes is made worse by coughing, sneezing, moving and deep breathing. You may find relief from pain when you hold your breath or when you apply pressure over the painful area.

Treatment

Once the underlying cause of your pleurisy is identified, your doctor will take steps to treat it such as administering antibiotics for an infection. In addition to this, disease, your doctor will probably prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs or pain medicines, such as aspirin, to remedy the inflammation. Sometimes, a codeine-based cough syrup will be prescribed to control a painful cough.
Analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and indomethacin, are used to treat the pain. Some patients can reduce their pain by lying on the painful side. The physician may prescribe codeine-based cough syrup to treat a painful cough.

Alien writes for Beauty tips. He also writes for home remedies and also foronline doctor.

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