Pleurisy
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Dr. Schiffman received his B.S. degree with High Honors in biology from Hobart College in 1976. He then moved to Chicago where he studied biochemistry at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle. He attended Rush Medical College where he received his M.D. degree in 1982 and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his Internal Medicine internship and residency at the University of California, Irvine.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
External splinting of the chest wall and pain medication can reduce the pain of pleurisy. Treatment of the underlying disease, of course, ultimately relieves the pleurisy.
If the pleural fluid shows signs of infection, appropriate treatment involves antibiotics and drainage of the fluid. If there is pus inside the pleural space, a chest drainage tube should be inserted.
Pleurisy describes the chest pain syndrome characterized by a sharp chest pain that worsens with breathing.
Pleurisy is caused by inflammation of the linings around the lungs (the pleura), a condition also known as pleuritis. There are two layers of pleura: one covering the lung (termed the visceral pleura) and the other covering the inner wall of the chest (the parietal pleura). These two layers are lubricated by pleural fluid.
Pleurisy is frequently associated with the accumulation of extra fluid in the space between the two layers of pleura. This fluid is referred to as a pleural effusion.
The pain fibers of the lung are located in the pleura. When this tissue becomes inflamed, it results in a sharp pain in the chest that is worse with breathing. Other symptoms of pleurisy can include cough, chest tenderness, and shortness of breath.
Pleurisy can be caused by any of the following conditions:
The pleura is composed of two layers of thin lining tissue. The layer covering the lung (visceral pleura) and the parietal pleura that covers the inner wall of the chest are lubricated by pleural fluid. Normally, there is about 10-20 ml of clear liquid that acts as a lubricant between these layers. The fluid is continually absorbed and replaced, mainly through the outer lining of the pleura. Pressure inside the pleura is negative (as in sucking) and becomes even more negative during inspiration (breathing in). The pressure becomes less negative during exhalation (breathing out). Therefore, the space between the two layers of pleura always has a negative pressure. The introduction of air (positive pressure) into the space (such as from a knife wound) will result in a collapse of the lung.
