Pleurisy

What is pleurisy?

Pleurisy is almost always a symptom of another illness, rather than an illness in and of itself. Someone in poor physical health, or someone with one of many other diseases like lupus or pneumonia, can suffer from pleurisy. Pleurisy itself is a painful swelling of the membrane on the outside of the lungs.

Pleurisy Symptoms

Pleurisy, which is also sometimes called pleuritis, is usually recognized by a chest pain that feels like a stabbing or sharp pain each time a person takes a breath. Between breaths, or when the person exhales, the pain usually goes away. It’s rare to feel it on both sides of the chest simultaneously, because the inflammation of the outer membrane of the lungs doesn’t usually happen on both lungs at the same time. Generally, pleurisy causes pain in one specific spot. Pleurisy back pain is common, though often the pain is in the lung and not the back.

Taking deep breaths or coughing can make the pain even worse. Medication to ease the pain is effective. It’s possible for pleurisy to go away on its own, but because it can be caused by a whole host of other diseases, some of which are serious, you should see a doctor if you suspect pleurisy.

Things that can ease pleurisy pain and discomfort include holding a pillow tightly to the chest when coughing and using a humidifier. Also, lying on the side that hurts can help ease the pain.

One danger with pleurisy is that pneumonia can develop, and the lungs can start to fill with infectious bacteria and fluid. The pleurisy could be more than just an inflammation of the membrane around the lungs, but a pleural effusion which could indicate a much more serious disease.

Pleural Effusion

This condition occurs when excess fluid builds up in the pleural space surrounding the lungs. While mild medical conditions can sometimes cause this, serious causes like cirrhosis and some types of heart disease also trigger pleural effusion. In some cases, the fluid will have to be manually drained from the lungs during treatment. People with pleural effusion will have more generalized chest and back pain and difficulty breathing, but they may also experience the signature sharp pains of pleurisy.