Is tuberculous pleurisy contagious?

Written by Wu Xiao Sheng
Pulmonology
Updated on May 23, 2025
00:00
00:00

Tuberculous pleurisy generally does not transmit.

Tuberculous pleurisy is a special clinical type of tuberculosis, caused by the proliferation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis on the pleura. Tuberculous pleurisy can cause symptoms such as afternoon low fever, night sweats, weight loss, and even chest tightness and shortness of breath. However, since tuberculous pleurisy is not open tuberculosis, it does not release the tuberculosis bacteria into the environment, and thus lacks a definitive transmission route. Hence, tuberculous pleurisy is mostly not contagious to others. Although tuberculous pleurisy is an infectious disease, its infectivity is extremely low.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
51sec home-news-image

Is pleurisy without effusion serious?

Pleurisy is very common clinically and generally occurs in some males. It is mainly caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of the pleural cavity. Some patients with pleurisy may not have obvious effusion, leading to less severe symptoms. Such patients should be treated promptly with anti-tuberculosis drugs, and generally, this does not lead to serious consequences. If pleurisy is not treated effectively with medications, it might lead to a worsening of the condition, causing different amounts of effusion in the pleural cavity. In severe cases, it can cause respiratory difficulty and cyanosis. Therefore, even without effusion, pleurisy can potentially lead to serious consequences and should be treated promptly. Generally, it can be effectively and completely cured under normal circumstances.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by An Yong Peng
Pulmonology
58sec home-news-image

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
50sec home-news-image

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
1min 2sec home-news-image

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

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wu Xiao Sheng
Pulmonology
42sec home-news-image

Is tuberculous pleurisy contagious?

Tuberculous pleurisy generally does not transmit. Tuberculous pleurisy is a special clinical type of tuberculosis, caused by the proliferation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis on the pleura. Tuberculous pleurisy can cause symptoms such as afternoon low fever, night sweats, weight loss, and even chest tightness and shortness of breath. However, since tuberculous pleurisy is not open tuberculosis, it does not release the tuberculosis bacteria into the environment, and thus lacks a definitive transmission route. Hence, tuberculous pleurisy is mostly not contagious to others. Although tuberculous pleurisy is an infectious disease, its infectivity is extremely low.