The dangers of secondary recurrence of pleurisy

Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
Updated on August 31, 2024
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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.

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Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
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What should I do about pleurisy calcification?

Pleural calcification, mainly results from long-term unresolved pleuritis or inadequate timely treatment, causing adherence between the two pleural layers. Following this adhesion, calcium salts may deposit, leading to calcification. Usually, the primary consideration is whether the patient's lung function has been impacted. If so, a thoracotomy and pleural decortication might be performed to restore the pleural structure. If the patient only shows pleural calcification on imaging without significant discomfort, it may be observed without immediate intervention, and regular monitoring of the calcification is recommended to see if it enlarges. If the condition remains stable over time, it might not require treatment since this represents a tendency towards healing, or the residual scarring may not necessitate special management.

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Written by Shen Jiang Chao
Radiology
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Can pleurisy be seen on a chest X-ray?

Pleurisy can also be detected in chest radiographs, but it depends on the type. There are two types of pleurisy: dry and wet. Dry pleurisy cannot be clearly identified, while wet pleurisy, which is mostly caused by tuberculosis, can show more typical characteristics. Tuberculous pleurisy primarily manifests as pleural effusion. A small amount of pleural effusion on an X-ray appears as blunting of the costophrenic angle on the same side and blurring of the diaphragm. A moderate amount of pleural effusion is shown on the chest radiograph as a uniformly consistent high-density shadow on the same side, which appears higher on the outside and lower on the inside, with an arc-shaped shadow. The muscle costophrenic angle and diaphragm are obscured. A large amount of pleural effusion presents as a high-density shadow in the pleural cavity on the same side, with the mediastinal cardiac silhouette clearly shifting to the interlateral side.

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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.

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Written by Shen Jiang Chao
Radiology
48sec home-news-image

Pleural inflammation CT manifestations

The causes of pleurisy mainly include tuberculous, purulent, bacterial, tumorous, traumatic, and rheumatic types, with the tuberculous type being the most common. Pleurisy is predominantly characterized by pleural effusion, which generally looks similar on a CT scan. CT scans cannot distinguish the cause of pleurisy. A small amount of pleurisy manifests as a minor amount of free effusion, appearing as an arc or crescent of uniform density along the posterior chest wall. As the effusion gradually increases to a moderate or large amount, it can compress lung tissue, leading to compressive atelectasis. In cases of large volume effusion, aside from causing atelectasis, it can also significantly push the mediastinum towards the healthy side.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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What is the cause of hemoptysis in pleurisy?

Pleurisy is generally more commonly seen in young adults and children clinically, and is most commonly caused by an infection of the pleura by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Usually, patients with this type of pleurisy do not experience symptoms of coughing up blood. The typical symptoms caused by pleurisy primarily include chest pain, coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and in severe cases with a lot of pleural effusion, it can cause the patient to experience breathing difficulties and sometimes chills. Therefore, the clinical symptoms presented by different patients can vary. When a patient with pleurisy has a severe cough, it can lead to the rupture of the capillaries in the bronchial walls, which can cause the patient to have varying degrees of blood in the sputum, or even coughing up blood.