Individuals who experience coughing and extreme pain in the chest should consult a pulmonologist in Lahore. People should remain vigilant regarding their overall physical and psychological health. If they notice any unusual symptoms, it is best to seek immediate medical attention. The specialist will evaluate the symptoms and diagnose the problem to provide the treatment accordingly.
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What Is Pleurisy?
Pleurisy is a condition in which there is inflammation in the thin layer covering the chest and lungs. It causes the patient to suffer from breathing difficulty and unbearable pain. Individuals above sixty are prone to suffer from pleurisy. It requires immediate medical attention in severe cases as the complications can be life-threatening. However, the treatment available is proven effective in curing pleurisy, but the symptoms can take weeks to fade away.
What Are The Common Signs And Symptoms Of Pleurisy?
The common signs and symptoms correlated with the condition are:
- The person suffers from excessive coughing, and remedies don’t are proven ineffective in easing the symptoms.
- The person suffers from recurrent episodes of fever and chills.
- The person suffers from unbearable pain in the chest while breathing.
What Are The Known Causes Of Pleurisy?
The known causes of pleurisy are:
- Due to excessive formation of the fluid between the layers of the pleura, the person may suffer from the condition.
- Viruses, parasites, and bacteria can cause infection, which leads to the swelling of the pleura.
- Individuals exposed to the toxic chemical are more likely to suffer from pleurisy.
- People diagnosed with cancer and under chemotherapy are more likely to suffer from inflammation in the pleura.
- Blood clotting in the lungs can cause swelling and other problems causing difficulty in breathing.
- People who have been in an accident that inserted pressure on the chest are more likely to suffer from pleurisy.
- Individuals taking drugs such as hydralazine can have side effects, including inflammation in the pleura.
- People diagnosed with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis can develop the condition as a side-effect.
What Are The Known Complications Of Pleurisy?
The complications associated with pleurisy include:
- The inflammation can cause pressure, and the person may suffer from unbearable chest pain.
- The person is more likely to lose appetite. It contributes to multiple other physical and psychological disorders due to irrational weight loss.
What Tests Help Diagnose Pleurisy?
The tests to diagnose pleurisy are:
- Physical Examination: With the help of a stethoscope, the doctor listens to the heartbeat and determines if the abnormality is an indication of a heart problem.
- Blood Testing: Complete blood testing helps detect the increase in WBC’s, which is an indication of infection in the body.
- Electrocardiogram: ECG helps check the functioning of the heart and eliminates the possibility of heart disease.
- Imaging Testing: X-ray helps detect inflammation in the lungs.
- Thoracentesis: The procedure takes out the pleural fluid to detect the presence of infection, causing the person to suffer from the symptoms of pleurisy and treat accordingly.
- Thoracoscopy: In some cases, the specialist is unable to detect the exact problem and its cause. Thoracoscopy allows the doctor to look at the affected area through the camera.
What Medications And Procedures Help Treat Pleurisy?
- Use of Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: The medications reduce inflammation and ease the pain.
- Use of Cough Syrups: Cough can cause breathing difficulty. Hence, syrups help reduce coughing and provide relief.
- Use of Corticosteroids: Individuals diagnosed with tuberculosis along with pleurisy take corticosteroids to control the symptoms.
- Use of Antibiotics: If the cause of inflammation is a bacterial infection, the patient takes antibiotics. The mediation helps fight the cause of inflammation and ease the pain.
- Thoracentesis: The procedure removes the fluid from the layers of the pleura.
The individual diagnosed with pleurisy should consult a pulmonologist in Islamabad to seek guidance for the most effective treatment plan. It would allow the person to recover smoothly and avoid further complications.