Pleurisy Quiz
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Chest pain when I breathe
Have a fever
Shortness of breath
The chills
Fatigued
Hurts to breathe
My body is hot
Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!
What is Pleurisy?
Inflammation of the outer lining of the lungs. Causes include infections, cancer, and autoimmune disease (body's immune system attacking itself).
Typical Symptoms of Pleurisy
- Discharge of yellow or green sputum.
- Chest pain when coughing or during deep breathing
- Fever
- Tooth extraction in the last six months
- History of connective tissue, autoimmune or rheumatic disease
- Difficulty breathing
- History of cancer
- Wheezing or whistling sounds when breathing
Diagnostic Questions for Pleurisy
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
- Do you have yellow or green sputum?
- Do you have sharp chest pain when coughing or taking a deep breath?
- Do you have a fever?
- Have you had a tooth extraction recently?
- Have you ever been diagnosed with a connective tissue, autoimmune, or rheumatic disease?
Treatment of Pleurisy
Treatment depends on the cause. Bacterial infections should be treated with antibiotics. Anti-inflammatory drugs can be given to relieve pain and speed up healing.
Reviewed By:
Scott Nass, MD, MPA, FAAFP, AAHIVS (Primary Care)
Dr. Nass received dual medical degrees from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Charles R. Drew University in Medicine and Science. He completed Family Medicine residency at Ventura County Medical Center with subsequent fellowships at Ventura, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, George Washington University, and University of California-Irvine. He holds faculty appointments at Keck School of Medicine of USC, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, and Western University of Health Sciences.
Eisaku Kamakura, MD (Pulmonology)
Dr. Kamakura graduated from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, School of Dentistry, and the Niigata University School of Medicine. He trained at Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital and held positions in the Respiratory Medicine departments at Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Ome City General Hospital, and Musashino Red Cross Hospital. In 2021, he became the specially appointed assistant professor at the Department of General Medicine, Niigata University School of Medicine.
Content updated on Mar 31, 2024
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- Recurrent fevers
- Periodic fever (>100.4°F / 38°C)
- Fever then no fever then fever again
- Remittent fever of 102.2°F / 39°C
- Extremely high fever of 106.7°F / 41.5°C or higher
- Fever of 100.4°F / 38°C or more for weeks
- Stomach was uncomfortable, then had a fever
- Stomachache and diarrhea before a fever
- Temperature of 102.2°F / 39°C goes up and down
See full list
Symptoms Related to Pleurisy
Diseases Related to Pleurisy
FAQs
Q.
Sharp Chest Pain? Why Your Lung Lining Is Inflamed & Key Medical Next Steps
A.
Sharp, stabbing chest pain that worsens with deep breaths, coughing, or movement can be pleurisy, an inflammation of the lung lining, most often viral but sometimes due to pneumonia, blood clots in the lungs, autoimmune disease, injury, or cancer that needs prompt medical evaluation. There are several factors to consider, including red flags like severe shortness of breath, chest pressure, fainting, coughing up blood, or high fever that warrant emergency care; see the complete guidance below for what to do next, from symptom tracking and when to seek urgent help to recommended tests, treatments, and prevention steps.
References:
* Pathak R, Khan NM. Pleurisy. 2024 Jan; StatPearls [Internet]. PMID: 30725838.
* Fuhrman CR, Celli B, Celli BR. Pleuritic Chest Pain: Causes, Evaluation, and Management. Chest. 2020 Apr;157(4):815-826. PMID: 32265005.
* Corban MA, Miller JS, Maldonado F. Update on the management of pleural diseases. Clin Respir J. 2022 Jul;16(7):527-537. PMID: 35292419.
* Zhang Z, Cao M, Hou Y. Recent advances in the diagnosis and management of pleurisy. J Thorac Dis. 2023 Aug 24;15(8):4178-4187. PMID: 37624647.
* Ghadiri M, Kianfar H, Ghaffari S. Pleuritic Chest Pain: Diagnostic Approach and Pitfalls. Am J Med. 2018 Jan;131(1):14-22. PMID: 29329061.
Q.
Short of Breath? Why Your Lungs Trap Fluid & Pleural Effusion Next Steps
A.
Shortness of breath can be caused by pleural effusion, a buildup of fluid around the lungs that usually stems from another condition like heart failure, pneumonia or other infection, cancer, blood clots, or liver or kidney disease; diagnosis relies on imaging and sometimes thoracentesis, and treatment targets the cause with possible drainage. There are several factors to consider; see below for specifics on symptoms, risk factors, tests, and treatments that can shape your next steps. Seek emergency care for severe or sudden breathing trouble, chest pain, blue lips, confusion, or fainting, and otherwise arrange prompt medical evaluation and follow recommended imaging or fluid analysis.
References:
* Kalra MK, Puri M, Saxena R. Physiology and Pathophysiology of Pleural Fluid: A Concise Review. Cureus. 2023 Oct 28;15(10):e47761. doi: 10.7759/cureus.47761. PMID: 38020612; PMCID: PMC10679803.
* Roberts ME, Rahman NM, Maskell NA, Bhatnagar R, Davies HE, Hooper CE, Morley AJ, Pepperell J, Pryce M, Smith NA, White P, Wilkinson T, Davies RJ. BTS Pleural Disease Guideline Group. British Thoracic Society pleural disease guideline 2023. Thorax. 2023 Nov;78(Suppl 3):s1-s170. doi: 10.1136/thorax-2023-220001. Epub 2023 Nov 2. PMID: 37919020.
* Porcel JM. Pleural effusions: Diagnosis and Management. Med Clin (Barc). 2021 Mar 12;156(5):252-259. doi: 10.1016/j.medcli.2020.10.012. Epub 2020 Dec 25. PMID: 33358327.
* Jany B, Welte T. Pleural effusion--diagnosis and treatment. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019 May 24;116(21):377-386. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2019.0377. PMID: 31288921; PMCID: PMC6647970.
* Kolar M, Vargova L. Pleural effusions: diagnosis and treatment. Adv Respir Med. 2018;86(6):297-306. doi: 10.5603/ARM.2018.0047. PMID: 30510137.
Q.
Sharp Pain Under Your Left Rib When You Breathe? It’s Likely Not Your Heart—It’s This.
A.
Sharp left under rib pain that worsens when you breathe is usually pleuritic pain or rib inflammation, not your heart, often after a recent infection, coughing, or physical strain. There are several factors to consider. See below for the red flags that need urgent care, how doctors evaluate this, and simple treatments that may guide your next steps.
References:
* Stochkendahl MJ, Kjaer P, Vach W, et al. Costochondritis: A narrative review of diagnosis and treatment. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2021 May 26;7(2):e001046. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2020-001046. PMID: 34104523; PMCID: PMC8168233.
* Truesdale A, Garcia A, Moye L, et al. Noncardiac chest pain: a review for the practicing clinician. J Thorac Dis. 2020 Mar;12(3):1219-1225. doi: 10.21037/jtd.2019.10.45. PMID: 32273934; PMCID: PMC7150550.
* Stubbs DJ. Chest Wall Pain: Causes, Evaluation, and Treatment. Am J Med. 2022 Jul;135(7):e258-e263. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2022.01.036. Epub 2022 Mar 22. PMID: 35339678.
* Fanaroff AC, Calvello EJ, Giardina P, et al. Clinical Approach to Acute Chest Pain. Am J Cardiol. 2023 Jan 1;186:149-160. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2022.10.038. Epub 2022 Nov 3. PMID: 36343949.
* Sahn SA. Clinical Approach to Pleural Disease. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2017 Jul;14(7):1160-1168. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201701-057FR. PMID: 28678601.
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Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Kass SM, Williams PM, Reamy BV. Pleurisy. Am Fam Physician. 2007 May 1;75(9):1357-64. PMID: 17508531.
https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2007/0501/p1357.htmlBliven ML, Otterness IG. Carrageenan pleurisy. Methods Enzymol. 1988;162:334-9. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(88)62088-x. PMID: 3226314.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/007668798862088X?via%3Dihub