 | Joseph P. Galichia, MD is the founder and Medical Director of the Galichia Medical Group, PA. He is an internationally recognized pioneer in the field of interventional cardiology. In the 70's, Dr. Galichia studied in Zurich, Switzerland with the inventors of the balloon angioplasty technique for treating heart disease. As a result of his experience, he was able to bring this historic technique back to the United States where he was one of the first physicians to perform coronary angioplasty here. A noted medical spokesman, he appears on a weekly Newstalk segment on KWCH Channel 12 and has a weekly syndicated radio talk show on KNSS 1330 AM every Saturday live from 11:00 am to noon. Dr. Galichia may be contacted by sending an e-mail to service@galichia.com |
Health & Medicine
2004-07-01 10:05:00
What is pleurisy?
ANSWER: Pleurisy occurs when there is inflammation of the pleura, the tissue which lines the lungs. The pleura protects the lungs from infection and provides more freedom of motion of the lungs within the chest cavity. Ordinarily, there is no awareness of lungs motion within the chest, and no discomfort caused by the pleura. There are instances however when the pleura is affected by an inflammatory process, known as pleuritis. Pleuritis may occur in the course of a common illness, such as influenza or bronchitis. Pleuritis also occurs in the setting of more serious illnesses such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, fungal infections, and some rheumatic like illnesses. Pulmonary embolus, which occurs when clots migrate to the lung, may also cause pleuritis. Furthermore, there are certain kinds of tumors of the lung and malignant tumors, known as mesotheliomas, which can primarily affect the pleura. As you can see the list of causes of pleuritis is extremely long. Pleurisy is clinically categorized by a sharp pain occurring in the chest and becoming worse on inspiration. The pain is often described as a "knife like" sensation, which may stop in the middle of the deep breath. There may be associated fever, chills, sputum production, and occasionally blood-tinged sputum. If a mild degree of "pleurisy" occurs in the absence of any symptoms, it is unlikely to be a major clinical problem. However, if fever, chills, or particularly blood-tinged sputum is present, you should see your doctor immediately. In this case, a good physical examination, a chest film, and other more extensive testing may be necessary to rule out more serious causes. A recurrence of frequent episodes of pleurisy, in my opinion merits, a full evaluation as well. Fortunately, most bouts of pleuritis are related to minor viral illnesses and get better on their own. Any episode of pleurisy that lasts longer than 24 hours or has a recurrent component should be evaluated in depth.
