According to statistics, about 90 percent of the population suffers from back pain. It concerns both the elderly and adolescents. Often the cause is lung pain. It can occur as a result of certain diseases or damage to the thoracic spine or muscles that relate to it. The exact cause can only be determined by a doctor.
Let's talk about how the lungs hurt with a particular disease. In addition, we will focus on some methods of treatment and prevention.
Can the lungs hurt and how serious is it?
It’s worth starting with the fact that the lungs can really hurt. Despite the fact that they do not have any nerve endings. The cause of the discomfort can be hidden in inflammatory processes in the pleura, muscle tissue, diaphragm, and some other organs. Even the appearance of a slight discomfort may indicate the onset of the development of the disease. Most often, the lungs hurt when inhaling, because it is at this moment that they work as much as possible.
If such a problem occurs, you should immediately consult a doctor to establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment. The situation is very serious, and in most cases medical intervention is necessary, otherwise the chances of recovery will be minimal. At the same time, self-medication can not only not bring benefits, but also permanently harm health.
So why do lungs hurt? Consider in more detail some of the most common diseases.
Non-Harmful Causes of Lung Pain
Despite the fact that there are many dangerous diseases, there are situations when special treatment is not required at all. If the lungs are ill when inhaling, then the following options may be the cause:
- The presence of intercostal neuralgia. In this case, the pain is acute, and you can compare it with a needle prick.
- Rapid increase in lung volume. Most often, this phenomenon occurs in adolescence.
- Overtraining. This is typical for people who are actively and actively involved in sports, since after it absolutely all muscle groups, including the lungs, can hurt.
In the absence of more serious symptoms of the disease, there is no need for medical treatment. It is enough just to have a good rest, go for a massage or in a bathhouse.
Dangerous causes of lung pain
With the question of whether the lungs can hurt, we figured it out. It remains to find out during what serious illnesses this occurs. It is worth saying right away that when making a diagnosis, it is necessary to take into account how the lungs hurt (acute or dull pain, during inspiration or all the time, and so on), as well as the presence of possible additional symptoms.
The most common diseases that are accompanied by pain in the lungs:
- dry pleurisy;
- pneumonia;
- flu;
- tuberculosis;
- rheumatism of the lungs;
- cancer;
- myocardial infarction;
- dry pericarditis.
Let us dwell in more detail on the symptoms and methods of treating each of them.
Dry pleurisy
Dry pleurisy is most often secondary and can occur in parallel with pneumonia, pulmonary infarction, bronchiectasis, lung abscess, cancer, and so on. The disease is characterized by inflammation of the pleura (parietal and visceral), as well as the subsequent loss of fibrin on its surface.
It can be difficult to determine the onset of dry pleurisy, since in the first stages there are no special symptoms. But after some time, an acute development of the disease occurs. At the same time, pain in the lungs appears during inspiration, coughing, sneezing, as well as when pressing on the affected area. With dry pleurisy, pain can be observed in the axillary region, stomach and shoulder. In addition, the disease is accompanied by the appearance of dry cough, the development of tachycardia, fever up to 39 degrees and the occurrence of fever.
Treatment of dry pleurisy primarily involves getting rid of the root cause of the disease. It is also possible to use analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antitussive drugs. During the acute period of the disease, it is desirable to maintain bed rest and use a variety of warming compresses, cans, mustard plasters.
Pneumonia (pneumonia)
Patients may say that they have a pain in their right lung, left, or both. As a result, a conclusion is drawn about a possible single or bilateral pneumonia. Also, depending on where the lungs hurt, you can determine the approximate location of inflammatory processes.
The disease is usually accompanied by fever up to 39.5 degrees, a strong cough, sputum production. Patients complain that during a deep breath they have pain in the lung area. Discomfort is usually felt within the affected area.
Why do lungs hurt with pneumonia? The answer is obvious: due to the presence of inflammatory processes in the tissues.
There are situations when any symptoms of the disease are absent. In this case, pneumonia is detected too late, and this can lead to the development of complications due to the lack of timely treatment. Treatment of pneumonia involves the use of penicillin-based drugs (Flemoxin, Ampicillin, etc.), as well as second and third generation antibiotics. In some cases, the use of antiviral or antifungal drugs is possible.
Flu
An infectious disease such as the flu can also cause discomfort and pain in the lungs. The disease begins very rapidly and acutely. Flu is accompanied by fever up to 38-40 degrees, the appearance of a headache, nasal congestion, hoarseness, a feeling of great weakness and weakness. In addition, there is pain in the eyeballs, which is noticeably worse during eye movement, as well as lacrimation and photophobia. Often there are manifestations of intoxication of the body and catarrhal syndrome. Dry cough with moderate to severe forms of influenza can cause severe pain in the chest, which begins in the trachea and spreads to the lungs.
The treatment of the disease involves several directions at once: strengthening immunity, detoxification of the body, increasing its protective functions and combating the virus itself. The drug "Antigrippin" is widely known, which helps to get rid of headaches, reduce signs of toxicosis and stop the spread of inflammatory processes.
If a mild form of influenza can be treated at home, then with a severe one, you must stay in the hospital. Constant medical supervision will help to avoid all sorts of complications. Compliance with bed rest and taking a large amount of a drink with vitamins (fruit juices, rosehip infusion, teas, compotes).
Tuberculosis
The disease is caused by tubercle bacilli. People with reduced immunity are most susceptible to it.
The symptoms of tuberculosis may vary depending on the severity of the disease. In any case, there is a noticeable decrease in appetite, rapid fatigue and a feeling of weakness, increased sweating and the appearance of chills. The temperature during tuberculosis rises to no more than 38 degrees, and the main feature is that it does not disappear for a very long time.
Another important point is the appearance of a cough, during which the lungs ache in the back and front at the same time. In addition, with tuberculosis, escaping sputum can be contaminated with blood. In such a situation, urgent medical intervention is necessary, since there is a great danger to life.
For the treatment of the disease, 4-5 anti-TB drugs are simultaneously used . In addition, patients are prescribed respiratory gymnastics and physiotherapy, as well as drugs that increase immunity.
Pulmonary rheumatism
To date, the disease is rare. There are other names: pneumonitis, rheumatism of the lung, rheumatic pulmonary vasculitis. The disease is characterized by the appearance of weakness and shortness of breath, fever, tachycardia, increased ESR, neutrophilic leukocytosis. In addition, breathing difficulties and wheezing are observed.
Antirheumatic therapy is used for treatment, and all of the above symptoms disappear very quickly. The main thing here is to start treatment on time and prevent the occurrence of complications that can provoke pneumonia.
Lungs' cancer
This is one of the most dangerous diseases. With cancer, malignant tumors form in the tissues of the lung. The disease is accompanied by shortness of breath, severe cough, the presence of blood in sputum, loss of body weight. In addition, secondary symptoms are often present, such as fatigue, apathy, causeless fever, voice changes and hoarseness.
How do lungs hurt during cancer? It is worth noting that the discomfort at the beginning of the disease will only be on the affected side. Over time, the pain intensifies significantly and is observed not only during coughing, but simply when inhaling, exhaling.
Treatment of lung cancer can consist of a complex of various methods: radiation, surgical, chemotherapeutic. The necessary treatment option is selected based on the severity of the disease, the location and size of the tumor, the general condition of the patient, and so on.
Heart Disease: Myocardial Infarction and Dry Pericarditis
Although these two diseases differ in their basic symptoms, they have several common symptoms. This is a constant pain in the chest, which is noticeably aggravated by coughing, sneezing, deep breathing and even a change in body position. In addition, it can pass into the arm, shoulder, jaw and neck.
To eliminate the symptoms of diseases, antianginal ("Nitroglycerin") and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ("Ibuprofen", "Indomethacin") are used. In the absence of effectiveness from the use of the above funds, glucocorticosteroids (Prednisolone) are prescribed to the patient.
Treatment of pain in the lungs
As you can see, there can be many answers to the question of why the lungs hurt. What to do to alleviate your condition? Unfortunately, no one can give an exact answer, since such pains are the result of a disease. Therefore, the only thing that needs to be done is to consult a doctor in a timely manner to establish an accurate diagnosis and, if necessary, prescribe medications or procedures for treatment.
In addition, only a specialist, guided by how the lungs hurt, is able to immediately determine the nature of the disease: the presence of inflammatory processes or damage to bone or muscle tissue in the thoracic spine.
The only method of prevention from lung pain also does not exist, since the causes of the above diseases can be varied: starting from the common cold, which resulted in complications (flu, pneumonia) and ending, for example, with a severe stressful situation that provoked heart problems. Therefore, the only thing that can be said in this situation: take care of yourself and listen carefully to your body.
Be healthy!