The pain may be worse when you cough, sneeze or move around. It may be relieved by taking shallow breaths. Other symptoms include shortness of breath and a dry cough. See a GP if you have sharp stabbing chest pains when you breathe or other symptoms of pleurisy. The GP will listen to your chest. A distinctive dry, crunching sound may suggest you have pleurisy. Further tests may be needed to find out what's causing pleurisy and how severe it is.
Get immediate medical help if you have severe chest pain, particularly if you also have other symptoms, such as coughing up blood , feeling sick or sweating. Treatment for pleurisy usually involves relieving the pain and, in some cases, treating the underlying cause. If treated promptly, pleurisy often gets better without causing any lasting lung damage.
Try different positions when resting to see which one is most comfortable for you. It may seem strange, but often lying on the side of your chest that hurts helps reduce the pain. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, this may be either tablets or injections.
Combinations of different antibiotics are sometimes used. However, if your pleurisy is caused by a viral infection, further treatment may not be required, as the infection usually resolves itself after a few days. In some cases, pleurisy causes a build-up of excess fluid around the lungs called pleural effusion.
Pleural effusion can result in shortness of breath that gets progressively worse. This is more likely in cases of pleurisy caused by pulmonary embolism or a bacterial infection. If pleural effusion doesn't clear up as your pleurisy is treated, or if you're very short of breath, a tube will need to be inserted so the fluid can be drained away. The tube may be inserted using either general anaesthetic where you're asleep or local anaesthetic the area where the tube is inserted is numbed.
Home Illnesses and conditions Lungs and airways Pleurisy. Pleurisy See all parts of this guide Hide guide parts 1. About pleurisy 2. Causes of pleurisy 3. Treating pleurisy. About pleurisy Pleurisy is inflammation of the sheet-like layers that cover the lungs the pleura. Seeing your GP Pleurisy can usually be diagnosed by studying your symptoms. These can include: blood tests to determine whether you have an infection or an autoimmune condition chest X-rays an ultrasound scan a computerised tomography CT scan a biopsy — a small sample of pleural or lung tissue is removed for further testing What causes pleurisy?
How is pleurisy treated? Treatment for pleurisy depends on the underlying cause. Causes of pleurisy Pleurisy is inflammation of the pleura. Infection An infection is the most common cause of pleurisy. Viruses known to cause pleurisy include: the influenza flu virus the Epstein-Barr virus — which causes glandular fever cytomegalovirus CMV — a common virus found in most people, which doesn't usually cause any noticeable symptoms parainfluenza — the virus that causes the childhood condition croup In some cases, pleurisy is caused by bacteria, such as: streptococcal bacteria — often associated with pneumonia , throat infections and some types of skin infections, such as impetigo and cellulitis staphylococcal bacteria — often associated with skin infections, food poisoning and, more seriously, blood poisoning sepsis Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA can cause pleurisy, especially in hospital patients.
Other causes Other possible causes of pleurisy include: injury — if the ribs are bruised or fractured, the pleura can become inflamed pulmonary embolism — a blood clot developing inside the lungs sickle cell anaemia — a blood disorder that usually affects people of African or Caribbean descent chemotherapy and radiotherapy HIV or AIDS lung cancer mesothelioma — a type of cancer caused by inhaling asbestos Autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus , are other possible causes of pleurisy.
Treating pleurisy Treatment for pleurisy usually involves relieving pain and treating the underlying cause of the condition. If treated promptly, pleurisy often resolves without any lasting damage to the lungs. Preparing and anticipating questions will help you make the most of your time with the doctor.
Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Diagnosis Your doctor will start by asking about your medical history and doing a physical exam, including examining your chest with a stethoscope.
To determine if you have pleurisy and identify the cause, your doctor might recommend: Blood tests. A blood test might tell your doctor if you have an infection. Other blood tests also might detect an autoimmune disorder, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, in which the initial sign can be pleurisy. Chest X-ray. A chest X-ray can show if your lungs are fully inflating or if there is air or fluid between the lungs and ribs.
Computerized tomography CT scan. A CT scan combines a series of X-ray images taken from different angles around your body and uses computer processing to create cross-sectional images that look like slices of your chest.
These detailed images can show the condition of the pleura and if there are other causes of pain, such as a blood clot in the lung. This imaging method uses high-frequency sound waves to produce precise images of structures within your body. Your doctor might use ultrasound to determine whether you have a pleural effusion. Your doctor might recommend this heart-monitoring test to rule out certain heart problems as a cause for your chest pain.
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