With the onset of cold weather, the number of patients with lung diseases increases. The causes of pleurisy of the lungs may be pneumonia or bronchitis, which at one time was not completely cured. Symptoms and methods of treating the disease should be known to everyone. The fact is that a neglected form of such a disease can lead to tuberculosis or even cancer.
Description of the disease
Pleurisy is a disease that is associated with the condition of the membrane of the lungs. On it, with inflammation, fluid accumulates or adhesions form. Such an inflammatory process is very serious. Pleurisy, as a rule, is not an independent disease, it occurs due to lung disease. It can develop only on one part of the respiratory organ, and can on both at the same time. The disease proceeds both in a chronic form, and in acute or mild. Most often found in children who have had pneumonia.
Pleurisy can also occur in patients with tuberculosis. There are cases when some other diseases in the form of pathologies of the lungs or chest wall are hidden under the symptoms of pleurisy. The reasons for the development of pathology in this case are more than understandable. Treatment of the disease proceeds under stationary conditions. If a serious condition is observed, then surgical intervention is required.
Causes of the disease
Before starting treatment for pleurisy of the lungs, the symptoms and causes should be fully studied. As mentioned above, quite rarely this disease occurs as an independent. Most often, this pathology manifests itself as a result of another disease.
Depending on the causes of pleurisy, which can provoke inflammation, the disease is divided into diseases of an infectious and non-infectious nature. The causes of infectious pleurisy are: viruses, parasites, syphilis, typhoid. Also, operations that were done on the chest, tuberculosis, fungal infection, bacteria. If we consider non-infectious pleurisy, then the cause can be breast cancer, the formation of a malignant nature in the chest, especially if there are metastases, heart attacks, and also connective tissue diseases in the pleura. These are the main causes of pleurisy non-infectious nature.
It should be noted that this disease has special specifics. For example, infectious agents act on the pleural cavity. They do everything in order to get into this body. When it comes to lung abscess, tuberculosis, pneumonia, as well as some other similar diseases, pathogens most often enter the pleural cavity with the movement of blood and lymph. If a surgical operation is carried out, which is also the cause of pleurisy, then here the infection occurs due to reduced immunity. Viruses can enter the body directly. If a person has increased vascular permeability, then he also faces pleurisy.
It happens that the fluid from the pleura is absorbed into it itself, which leads to the formation of pleurisy. The reason in this case is the formation of the fibrin layer. The disease is called fibrous or dry pleurisy. If the fluid forms in the pleura faster than it leaves it, then exudative pleurisy develops.
People at risk are those who are constantly under stress, overcooling, overworking, who have an unhealthy lifestyle, and are allergic to chemical drugs. These indicators are the causes of pleurisy. Treatment in this case directly depends on the type of disease.
Types of pleurisy
Two main types of pleurisy are divided - fibrinous (cysts and adhesions form in humans) and exudative. The last type is that a person accumulates fluid in the pleura. We will consider later on which subspecies the exudative species is divided. Note that cancer pleurisy is also isolated into a separate group. There is also a metastatic view. It is characterized by the appearance of metastases in the pleura and lungs. There is a form of pleurisy in which the lung is affected by cancer cells. Each of the above forms is quite dangerous for humans, so treatment should be immediate. If a person ignores the causes of pleurisy, clinical manifestations and treatment, complications will not take long. The worst of these is the appearance of tumors.
They treat the disease with the help of complex therapy - prescribe antibiotics, prescribe vitamins and physical procedures. Therapy lasts up to 6 months. This is the maximum period at which chronic pleurisy is diagnosed. If it is a fibrinous form, then the treatment period is reduced up to two weeks. An accurate diagnosis can only be made by a specialist, so self-medication of such a serious disease is not worth it.
Exudative pleurisy
The way symptomatology manifests itself depends entirely on the neglect of the process, the etiology of development, as well as the amount of fluid that is present in the pleura. In addition, doctors should examine the nature of the exudate. The main complaints are: lethargy, cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, fever, sweating. It should be noted that due to the causes of exudative pleurisy, which were described above, a person experiences quite severe pain. They can be either acute or moderate. It depends on how much the pleural cavity is affected. When fluid accumulates in it, a person's pain decreases, and shortness of breath intensifies.
In general, with this pleurisy, shortness of breath has mixed manifestations. How intense it is depends entirely on the amount of fluid, how quickly it builds up, and how badly the ventilation of the lungs is impaired. A cough will be observed only at the very beginning of the development of the disease. At first it is dry, sputum does not appear. But, as soon as the disease begins to progress, the cough will become more moist and productive. The general condition of a person in this condition is moderate. The patient will try to find a better body position for himself in order to suppress coughing and pain. Due to the fact that the functionality of the lung is impaired, in a person all visible mucous membranes of the skin will acquire a blue tint. If the fluid will simultaneously accumulate in the pleura and in the mediastinum, then the patient's face and vocal cords will swell. At the initial examination by a doctor, he may notice frequent breathing of a mixed type.
Types of exudative pleurisy
The type of disease depends on the causes of pleurisy of the lungs. It is contagious. If we talk about the accumulated fluid, then pleurisy is divided into subspecies: serous, purulent-serous, hemorrhagic. According to the clinic, they share: acute, subacute and chronic pleurisy.
Externally, the chest looks asymmetrical. Most often, the affected side is slightly enlarged. If you make a palpation of the chest, then the patient will complain of pain. The affected side will be tense in itself.
Exudative diagnosis
During the diagnosis of the disease, it is necessary to identify the main causes and symptoms of lung pleurisy. This will allow you to prescribe the correct therapy. If fluid accumulates in the pleural cavity, then it can be easily detected during diagnosis. It is by localization that the doctor determines the change in the course of the disease. When the doctor listens to the lungs, in some areas you can notice a weakened pulse, as well as noise from the friction of the pleura. However, such indicators are found only in the initial stages. In general, the diagnosis consists of blood donation, analysis of pleural fluid, and an X-ray of the lung is often prescribed.
Pleated pleurisy
The causes of pleurisy of this kind are that a person accumulates fluid in one cavity of the pleura. Most often, this occurs from below in the lungs. In this case, the symptoms are quite unusual. A person's blood pressure rises, respiratory failure appears, headaches occur, and the temperature also rises. If you press on the chest, then the patient will feel unpleasant sensations. It is also associated with the causes of pleurisy.
Among the complications, it should be mentioned that a person may have purulent pleurisy as a complication, and a channel can also form between the pleura and chest, which is pathological. This form of pleurisy, as a rule, always develops along with tuberculosis. How difficult it will be to treat this disease depends on neglect.
Dry pleurisy
The cause of pleurisy of this form is not the appearance of a liquid, but the creation of adhesions. The most important symptomatology: chest pain, weakness, exhaustion. Superficial breathing may also occur, as well as prolonged coughing. If you listen to the lungs, you can notice the noise, it is caused due to friction of the pleura. The main cause of this disease is tuberculosis and pneumonia. Sometimes bronchitis can lead to this. The treatment of this disease is quite quick, after the onset of the disease, you can be cured in just 2 weeks.
Purulent pleurisy
Such a disease is caused by staphylococci, pneumococci and streptococci. Also, some viral bacilli can be pathogens. As a rule, a disease develops after one of the types of microorganisms acts, but there are cases when the purulent process is the result of the action of a group of microbes at once. These are the causes of pleurisy purulent form.
Of the symptoms, it should be noted that a person has a bulge of the chest, the shoulder drops, and the arm becomes less mobile. Cough with sputum, sometimes with pus, may be observed. It starts to come out when an abscess breaks through. In infants who are not even three months old, purulent pleurisy is very difficult to detect. It disguises itself as a general type of disease. In older children, standard symptoms of total pleurisy may occur. That is why it is advisable to be examined immediately when symptoms occur.
Tuberculous pleurisy
It should be noted that this disease most often does not occur on its own. It is a response to tuberculosis, especially if it affects the lungs or lymph nodes. Pleurisy is divided into several types, but the symptoms are generally standard, characteristic of other types of pleurisy. It often happens that in the presence of dry pleurisy there is a tuberculosis process. That is why it is necessary to identify the causes of the disease and pathogens in time.
Complications
If you ignore the causes of pleurisy, symptoms and treatment, and regardless of what form we are talking about, then we can achieve the development of complications. It should be noted that, as a rule, with this disease, a positive outcome will be in any case, if treatment is started on time. Adhesion can develop, moorings form, and pneumosclerosis also develops. As a result of the latter, attacks of respiratory failure will become more frequent. As already mentioned above, exudative pleurisy has a more extensive list of complications, one of which is the formation of purulent accumulations.
Pleurisy treatment
First of all, it is necessary to find out the causes of pleurisy, clinical manifestations before treatment. Complications in this case will not bother the person, the main thing is to choose the right therapy. If pleurisy develops along with pneumonia, then antibiotics should be prescribed to the person. When this disease is caused by rheumatism, it is necessary to use anti-inflammatory drugs. As a rule, they are assigned to a non-steroidal type. Together with tuberculosis, pleurisy is treated with antibiotics that destroy Koch's sticks.
In order for a person to reduce pain, the doctor should prescribe analgesics, as well as drugs that will affect the functioning of the cardiovascular system. If the patient has fluid in the pleura, it is necessary to prescribe physiotherapy exercises, as well as physiotherapeutic procedures. They will allow fluid to dissolve. If a person with pleurisy produces a large amount of effusion, then he needs to do a puncture. This will pump out the exudate. It should be noted that in order not to harm a person in one procedure, you can not pump out more than 1 liter.
If a complication occurs in the form of purulent inflammation, then it is necessary to rinse the pleura with the help of antiseptics. You can also enter special antibiotics or hormonal drugs directly into the shell of the organ. If there is a need to prevent relapse of exudative pleurisy, then pleurodesis is performed. This procedure allows pleural sheets to stick together. This is done by introducing special preparations based on talc.
If a person has dry pleurisy, then he must observe bed rest and rest. To reduce pain, it is necessary to put mustard plasters, banks and tightly bandage the chest.
“Dianin” and other drugs are prescribed to the patient if it is necessary to suppress a cough. “Acetylsalicylic acid”, “Nurofen” will be highly effective in dry pleurisy. If the acute phase subsided in a person and he started to recover, then he is sent to therapeutic exercises in order to prevent the development of the disease. If we are talking about a chronic disease, then an operation is prescribed. It is necessary to remove the pleura. Also during it, the lung is freed from the membrane covering it.
Alternative treatment
If we are talking about a disease at the initial stage, it is allowed to apply alternative treatment. You can mix one glass of honey from linden, the same amount of aloe juice, sunflower oil, linden broth with exudative pleurisy. It is advisable to take this tool one tablespoon before meals at least 3 times.
The second method is field horsetail, which must be filled with boiling water (a tablespoon in a glass of water). He must be allowed to infuse for several hours. Next, strain the solution, and then take one tablespoon at least 3 times. At the same time, it needs to be constantly heated.
You can use camphor, lavender, eucalyptus oil. This mixture must be rubbed into the chest overnight. After this, you should bandage it to warm up.
You can use sage leaves, marshmallow root, licorice, as well as anise. It is necessary to pour boiling water (a tablespoon in a glass of water) into this collection, then let it brew for 5 hours. This solution should be taken 5 times a day, one tablespoon each.
It must be understood that pleurisy, even at the initial stage, cannot be treated only with folk remedies. It is advisable to use it in combination or to alternate this method of treatment with medicines and other procedures. Otherwise, this can lead to the rapid development of the disease, cardiopulmonary insufficiency, as well as suppuration.
Prevention
It is impossible to predict in which case of a cold as a complication pleurisy will develop. However, you can follow some preventive measures that will help protect yourself.
Firstly, if a person has any respiratory infections, especially of the acute type, it is necessary to carefully treat and prevent complications. Otherwise, pathogenic microflora can enter the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, then it will go to the pleural cavity. That is why a cold cannot be started. Then there will be no causes of lung pleurisy.
If a person has a suspicion of pneumonia, a chest x-ray should be taken immediately. The following should be observed therapy. If the treatment is incorrect, then a person may experience a complication in the form of pleurisy.
Need to do breathing exercises. After waking up, you should take a couple of deep breaths. This will be an excellent prevention, which will protect yourself from the development of inflammatory processes in the respiratory tract. You need to constantly exercise to strengthen the immune system. It is advisable to be more often in the fresh air and temper, to stop smoking. Most often, it is smoking that causes tuberculosis, as well as cancer, which causes inflammation of the pleura.
When ignoring preventive measures, one must remember that any disease, even the most complex, is easier to prevent than to treat. We examined the causes of lung pleurisy. The symptoms of this disease are not the most pleasant, and everything possible must be done to avoid them.