Is it normal to have pain in the later stages of pleurisy?

Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
Updated on September 04, 2024
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Pleurisy is very common in clinical settings, caused by various pathogens invading the pleural cavity, leading to an inflammatory response. Most pleurisy patients are mainly afflicted due to infections by the tuberculosis bacillus, thus pleurisy typically comes with varying degrees of effusion, leading to different degrees of adhesion in the pleural cavity. Therefore, even during the acute phase of pleurisy, patients may suffer from symptoms such as coughing, fever, chest pain, breathlessness, and difficulty breathing. Even after effective medicinal treatment of pleurisy and full recovery, patients may still experience varying degrees of chest pain later on, primarily due to various degrees of pleural adhesion. During physical exertion or coughing, this can lead to varying degrees of chest pain, a very common occurrence.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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Is it normal to occasionally feel chest tightness with pleuritis?

Patients with pleurisy occasionally experience chest tightness, which is a very common clinical symptom. It is important to clarify that in clinical cases, pleurisy is mostly due to infection of the pleural cavity by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, causing clinical symptoms such as fever, chest tightness, shortness of breath, cough, and chest pain. Therefore, during an acute episode of pleurisy, some patients may have a severe pleural infection, and possibly a large amount of pleural effusion, which inevitably leads to symptoms like shortness of breath and chest tightness. For patients with pleurisy, if it is tuberculous, it is crucial to provide anti-tuberculosis medication as early as possible for symptomatic treatment. A lengthy course of treatment is usually required to effectively control the discomfort caused by pleurisy.

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Written by An Yong Peng
Pulmonology
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What are the symptoms of pleurisy?

Pleurisy often presents with symptoms of chest pain, which tends to worsen with deep breathing. Patients with pleurisy may also experience a feeling of tightness in the chest, possibly caused by a significant accumulation of fluid in the chest cavity due to the pleurisy. Sometimes, this tightness could also be due to severe chest pain that makes the patient reluctant to inhale deeply. Patients with pleurisy are likely to exhibit symptoms of fever. It is important to note that pleurisy caused by different factors may have distinct clinical features. For example, purulent pleurisy often presents with high fever, while tuberculous pleurisy may show symptoms of tuberculosis intoxication like low-grade fever in the afternoon and night sweats. However, some cases of tuberculous pleurisy might present with high fever, and others may not have noticeable fever at all. Additionally, viral pleurisy usually features prominently painful symptoms in the chest.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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Is pleurisy serious in young people?

Pleurisy, when it occurs in young people, is also relatively common in clinical settings. It is primarily caused by an invasion of the pleura by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, resulting in an inflammatory lesion. The symptoms manifested by these patients mainly include coughing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, chest pain, and in severe cases, respiratory difficulties. Tuberculous pleurisy is mostly seen in adolescents and children. If young people are diagnosed with pleurisy and receive timely and accurate diagnosis, along with systematic and effective treatment with anti-tuberculosis drugs, their condition can generally be effectively controlled. However, it is important to note that although young people have better resistance, they must strictly adhere to the treatment duration for anti-tuberculosis medication, which usually spans six to nine months to completely cure pleurisy.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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Does pleurisy cause chest pain?

Pleurisy can cause anterior chest pain. It is a very common clinical disease, mostly caused by bacterial invasion of the pleura resulting in inflammatory lesions, with Mycobacterium tuberculosis being the most common pathogen. Due to inflammatory exudation, some patients may also experience varying degrees of pleural effusion. The clinical symptoms presented by patients mainly include fever, cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and chest pain. In severe cases, different levels of breathing difficulties and other clinical symptoms may occur. Therefore, it is very common for patients with pleurisy to experience anterior chest pain.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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The dangers of secondary recurrence of pleurisy

Pleurisy is very common in clinical settings, with most cases caused by the invasion of Mycobacterium tuberculosis into the pleural cavity, leading to inflammatory lesions. Patients generally experience pleurisy symptoms, and if their immune function is weak, some may relapse if not careful. Therefore, for patients recovering from pleurisy, it is essential to strengthen their immune system and pay attention to balancing work and rest, avoiding spicy and irritating foods, which can greatly reduce the possibility of pleurisy recurrence. If pleurisy recurs, the clinical symptoms may worsen compared to the initial infection or may present similarly to the initial symptoms. Generally, if pleurisy recurs, there might be severe complications due to adhesions in the pleural cavity, possibly leading to persistent chest pain symptoms.