Pleuritis of the lungs. Symptoms and complications

Pleurisy of the lungs is not uncommon. Therefore, it is worth investigating, what are its symptoms and complications. Pleura in medicine is usually called inflammation of the pleura, which is accompanied by the release of exudate. As a rule, lung pleurisy is a secondary disease, that is, it can arise as a complication of the underlying disease, for example, pneumonia, tuberculosis, oncology, heart disease.

In most cases, the causative agent of pleurisy are various bacteria (streptococcus, pneumococcus) or tubercle bacillus, but can provoke disease and chest injuries. Infection into the pleura penetrates in three ways: directly from the lungs (bronchogenic), hematogenous (through the blood), lymphogenous (through the lymph). Pleurisy of the lungs is classified into: infectious, non-infectious, dry (fibrinous), exudative (effusion). And the nature of exudate disease is divided into: serous, purulent, hemorrhagic, iron, putrefactive.

Pleurisy of the lungs is a disease that is accompanied by the release of a thick exudate. It, in turn, strengthens the friction between the sheets when coughing and breathing, and due to the accumulation of protein (fibrin) there is a lot of pain. To this form of pleurisy are infections (according to statistics, 90% - a tubercle bacillus). But there may be other reasons: non-infectious etiology, for example, tumors, trauma, rheumatism, and idiopathic, that is, an unexplained cause.

With dry pleurisy, the symptoms of intoxication are practically absent, but the skin is very pale, and on the cheeks is a feverish blush. A characteristic sign of the disease, of course, is severe pain, which is worse when coughing, breathing or tilting the body to a healthy side. Patients may also notice a slight dyspnea, arising directly from pain, the consciousness remains clear. Very often, changes occur on the side of the sternum, its mobility is limited, so the person lies on the sore side, because only in this position it is easier to breathe, but the breathing is superficial, sparing. At auscultation, there is a noise characteristic of friction of the pleura.

If the patient has dry pleurisy of the lungs, the treatment is prescribed accordingly. It consists in the fact that the doctor prescribes anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, anesthetics and glucocorticoids. And also physiotherapy, massage and exercise therapy are advisable. At an early stage, pressure bandages are applied to the chest, this is necessary to fix it and, accordingly, to reduce pain. With this form, the outcome is one - recovery.

Pleuritis of the lungs of exudative form, characterized by a gradual accumulation of exudate, which leads to squeezing the lobes of the lung and the development of respiratory failure. The causes are the same as in dry pleurisy. Symptoms of intoxication with exudative pleurisy are strongly pronounced. There is a chill, the temperature rises significantly, consciousness becomes confused, the skin becomes blue (cyanosis), dyspnea increases. As a rule, pain at the very beginning of the disease is present, but then decreases, and instead of it, gravity appears. Significant changes undergoes the thorax - the diseased half lags behind healthy when breathing, and the intercostal spaces are smoothed by the accumulation of fluid. With exudative pleurisy, it is very difficult for a patient to breathe in a horizontal position, that is, when he lies, so he is constantly in a sitting position, with a tachypnoe (rapidity) breathing.

With exudative pleurisy, special attention is paid to nutrition. Doctors recommend limiting the intake of liquid and salt. In addition to diet, anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, glucocorticoids and, necessarily, diuretics are prescribed . If the patient was diagnosed with exudative pleurisy of the lungs, the consequences may be different. For example, the formation of pleural adhesions, the development of chronic respiratory failure.

With exudative pleurisy, hospitalization is indicated.