What should I do about pleurisy calcification?

Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
Updated on September 04, 2024
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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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How to treat pleurisy without effusion?

Pleurisy is a very common type of inflammatory response of the pleura caused by pathogenic factors in clinical practice. In clinical settings, some patients may develop pleural effusion, while others may not. Therefore, the treatment for pleurisy without pleural effusion mainly involves symptomatic management with anti-tuberculosis drugs. Typically, the treatment with anti-tuberculosis drugs should follow a regimen that is early, combined, adequate, regular, and complete. For the treatment of such pleurisy patients, it is known that most cases are caused by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Therefore, when treating such patients, it is crucial to strictly follow the treatment regimen of anti-tuberculosis medications to effectively control the uncomfortable symptoms caused by pleurisy.

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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 Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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Is it normal to occasionally have chest pain with pleurisy?

Pleurisy is a very common type of disease, with many triggering factors. Most cases of pleurisy are caused by infection of the pleural cavity by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, leading to inflammatory lesions. Once pleurisy is diagnosed, patients should promptly receive anti-tuberculosis medication for effective treatment. It is commonly known that if pleurisy is not controlled promptly and effectively, it may lead to worsening symptoms such as cough, fever, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and chest pain, so these clinical symptoms are also very common in patients with pleurisy. Therefore, it is very common for patients with pleurisy to experience chest pain. Even after complete recovery from pleurisy, there may be varying degrees of chest pain, which is considered normal. This is because pleurisy in the acute phase may involve different degrees of adhesions, hence chest pain may occur later on as well.

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

Common symptoms of pleurisy include chest pain, which often worsens with deep breathing. This condition is also called pleuritic chest pain. It is important to note that the presence of such chest pain does not necessarily indicate pleurisy; it could also be due to pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, or even rib fractures. Patients with pleurisy may also experience a sensation of chest tightness, especially when there is a significant amount of pleural effusion. Furthermore, severe chest pain caused by pleurisy may lead to patients avoiding deep breaths, which can also result in symptoms of chest tightness. Fever is another common symptom in patients with pleurisy, and the severity of fever can vary depending on the infection causing the pleurisy. For example, tuberculous pleurisy, caused by tuberculosis infection, often results in a low-grade fever in the afternoon, but high fevers can also occur. In the case of purulent pleurisy, which is usually due to a bacterial infection leading to pus formation in the pleural cavity, high fevers are common.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
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How does pleurisy ascites form?

Pleurisy is relatively common in clinical settings, with numerous and complex triggering factors. It is often caused by an infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis invading the pleural cavity, leading to inflammatory lesions. This often results in exudative inflammation, where fluid leakage into the pleural cavity can occur, but pleurisy generally does not cause ascites. The formation of ascites may have an indirect relation to pleurisy, but it primarily depends on the presence of other factors, such as acute pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic kidney diseases, or liver diseases, which could all potentially lead to the formation of ascites in patients.