Pleurisy (pleuritis) is chest pain from stimulation of pain fibres in parietal pleura surrounding the lungs, associated with an inflammation of pleural lining. Many disease processes can cause pleuritic pain with the most common being viral (eg influenza) or bacterial (eg pneumonia).
Clinical features: sharp chest pain on breathing with a stabbing or shooting sensation; also can get a shortness of breath, dry cough or fever. Other symptoms will depend on the underlying cause.
Differential diagnosis: pericarditis; myocaridal infarction; angina pectoris; cholecystitis; costochondritis; pulmonary embolism; pneumothorax; chest injury.
Management:
Symptomatic relief (eg NSAIDs); antibiotics if bacterial.
Removal of any fluid, air or blood from the pleural space.
Treatment of underlying disorder.
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