There is a small space between the inner and outer layers of the pleura in the chest. When pleural fluid begins to accumulate in the pleural cavity, pleurisy is diagnosed. In this case, the leaflets become inflamed, and exudate is formed on them in most cases.
Causes of fluid accumulation in the pleural cavity
Almost always the pleurisy is secondary. That is, this disease is not the main one, and it appears against a background of some more serious problem. Most often the fluid accumulates in the pleural cavity for the following reasons:
- trauma of the sternum;
- edema of the mucosa, which appears when thyroid function is deficient;
- heart failure;
- pulmonary embolism;
- cirrhosis;
- Oncology (both in the primary and in the case of metastases);
- uremia;
- tuberculosis;
- diseases of an infectious or allergic nature;
- inflammation of organs located in the retroperitoneal space;
- nodular periarteritis;
- melanoma.
Normally, the pleural cavity should be filled with fluid, but there is very little of it in the space. When the inflammation is between the sheets can accumulate up to several hundred milliliters of exudate.
Symptoms of the fluid being collected in the pleural cavity
The way pleurisy will manifest itself depends, first, on the cause of the disease, and secondly, on the amount of accumulated fluid. But there are several common signs of ailment. Among them:
- a feeling of permanent weakness;
- pain;
- dry cough - the consequence of squeezing the bronchial tubes with liquid;
- pronounced pallor or cyanosis of the skin;
- dyspnea;
- sudden increase in temperature (observed when inflammation occurs);
- swelling of the cervical veins;
- rapid breathing.
Treatment of the condition in the presence of fluid in the pleural cavity
First you need to determine why the disease began. After this, the main efforts should be made to eliminate the cause of the disease. If there is little fluid in the pleural cavity, you can use medicines:
- Drugs of nonspecific sclerosing action - Talc, Doxycycline and other antibiotics - are almost not used today. When they are treated, they inject drugs through insufflation through the drainage.
- Cytostatics are more effective: Etoposide, Bleomycin, Cisplatinum.
- Immunotherapy is mandatory.
When there are too many liquids, one drug therapy can not do. In such cases, a puncture is performed, and the exudate is removed.