Pleurisy Symptoms

The medical term for the linings of the lungs becoming inflamed is pleurisy or pleuritis. It is often associated with pleural effusion, which is the build up of excess fluid between the visceral pleura (the layer covering the lung) and the parietal pleura (the layer covering the inner chest wall). The function of the pleurae is to reduce friction within the chest as the lungs enlarge and abate during the process of breathing. Inflammation of this lining leads to difficult and ineffective breathing.

The two types of pleurisy (wet and dry pleurisy) makes breathing extremely difficult for the patient since in wet pleurisy, fluid from the surrounding inflamed tissue collects between the chest wall and the lungs, forcing the lungs to become compressed; whereas with dry pleurisy, the infected and inflamed linings rub directly against each other, causing painful breath. Pleurisy can occur without any previous illness or infection or is idiopathic. However, it is usually preceded by a number of conditions such as:

• Viral, parasitical, bacterial and fungal infections
• Exposure to toxic substances or inhaling certain chemicals, such as ammonia
• Chest injuries or heart surgery
• Diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
• Pulmonary embolism (blood clots that occur inside blood vessels feeding the lungs)
• Lung infarction (death of tissues in the lung as a result of poor blood supply of lack of oxygen) or lung cancer
• Inflammatory bowel disease

Pleurisy can cause a varied amount of symptoms. These are outlined below:

1. Chest Pain – this is the main symptom and is characterised by a sharp or stabbing pain or may be experienced as a burning sensation or an ache. This pain intensifies when coughing, moving around or taking a deep breath. Chest pain may extend to the shoulder or the back in some instances.
2. Cough – can be a dry cough or may produce blood.
3. Shortness of Breath – can be a result of chest pain, pneumonia or blood clots.
4. Fever – depending on the underlying cause for the illness, a fever may occur.
5. Weight loss that is unexplained.
6. Rapid, shallow breathing.
7. Sore throat followed by swelling of the joints and pain.
8. The collection of fluid within the chest cavity as a result of pleurisy can also lead to the development of a bluish skin colour.

The underlying cause of pleurisy has to be determined before the illness can be effectively treated. This determination is based on various diagnostic tests and physical examinations where other sources for the same symptoms are ruled out. Most bacterial infections can be treated with the use of antibiotics or surgery to drain all collected fluid depending on the severity of the infection. For viral infections, usually all will run the course of the infection without treatment. The pain associated with pleurisy is also easily controlled with the use of painkillers as well as anti inflammatory drugs, which are extremely effective particularly with dry pleurisy. Generally, symptoms for the infection can be eased to some extent with rest or utilising an adhesive bandage strapped firmly to the chest.