Pleurisy

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Respiratory system overview

Pleuritis; Pleuritic chest pain

The main symptom of pleurisy is pain in the chest. Sometimes the pain may be felt in the shoulder.

Deep breathing, coughing, and chest movement makes the pain worse.

Pleurisy causes fluid to collect inside the lung area. This makes breathing difficult and may cause the following symptoms:

• Coughing 
• Shortness of breath
• Rapid breathing (tachypnea)
• Cyanosis

The doctor will use a stethoscope to listen to the lungs for abnormal sounds.

• Friction rub is a rough scratchy sound
• Rales may be occur with pneumonia
• Rhonchi  may occur with pneumonia or bronchitis
• Decreased breath sounds may indicate fluid around the lung

• CBC (may help determine if the infection is caused by a bacteria or virus)
• X-ray of the chest
• Ultrasound of the chest
• Thoracentesis (a collection of fluid from the chest cavity)

Review Date: 02/13/2006
Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, CriticalCare & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Reviewprovided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.