Pleurisy: treatment

Pleurisy is an inflammatory disease of the pleura that arises from the deposition of fibrin on its surface or the accumulation of fluid inside the pleural cavity, with a cough and pain during breathing. The causes of this disease can be several. First of all, it can cause infectious agents of a viral or bacterial nature, as well as parasites and fungi. Pleurisy, whose treatment is difficult enough, most often develops on the basis of pneumonia, tuberculosis or lung abscess. In addition, it can cause some non-infectious diseases and pathological conditions, for example, systemic diseases, malignant tumors, chest injuries and operations, diseases of the digestive tract, myocardial infarction, systemic vasculitis and others.

Diagnosed pleurisy, whose treatment is only after this, based on the clinical picture of the disease, with mandatory consideration of the results of instrumental diagnosis, consisting of radiography and computed tomography, thoracoscopy, pleural puncture and ultrasound. A general analysis of blood, urine, and also the study of pleural contents can also be used. Differential diagnosis is performed with angina pectoris, pericarditis, myocardial infarction, acute appendicitis, intercostal neuralgia, acute cholecystitis, pleural empyema, spontaneous pneumothorax and gastric ulcer.

Pleurisy: treatment depending on the nature of the disease

If the pleurisy is of an infectious nature, then the pathogen usually penetrates into the pleural cavity in some way, causing inflammation. The result is an increase in the permeability of the blood capillaries, which causes the pleural edema to begin, and then exudates into the pleural cavity. The liquid part is absorbed through the lymphatic vessels, and the fibrin is deposited on the pleural sheets, forming a dry pleurisy. In this case, it is paramount to get rid of the infection through antibiotics.

There is another option for the development of the disease. In the case of an increased intensity of the inflammatory process, as well as when lymphatic vessels are closed, the rate of exudation prevails over the rate of absorption, which causes the exudate to accumulate in the pleural cavity, forming a clotted pleurisy. In this case, in addition to taking antibiotics, the patient is prescribed special procedures to extract the exudate.

The emergence of non-infectious pleurisy is associated with the effects of neoplastic products on the pleural sheets, with the lymph vessels being clogged because of the squeezing of the tumors or their metastases, after which the movement of the lymph is disrupted. In this case, the most effective method of treatment is getting rid of the disease that caused pleurisy. Simultaneously, alleviate the condition of the patient by prescribing special medications.

Pleurisy: treatment depending on the clinical picture of the disease

The clinical picture of dry pleurisy can be characterized by increased body temperature, general weakness, pain in the chest, muscles and joints. When deep breaths occur, there may be acute pain in the chest area, as well as when tilting the body or during a cough. During clinical examination of a patient with dry pleurisy, surface respiration, partial lag in the respiratory act of the affected part of the breast, and the sound of pleural friction can be detected. If we are talking about exudative pleurisy, there is an increase in temperature, as well as a feeling of heaviness in the chest, shortness of breath, dry cough, increased sweating. They note cyanosis of the skin of the neck and face, swelling of the veins on the neck, an increase in the affected side of the chest. This is only part of the symptoms that can be accompanied by pleurisy.

Treatment of this disease is carried out exclusively in the hospital after the causes of the disease have been established. The complex treatment of pleurisy includes:

- antibiotic therapy, if the disease is associated with an infection, in other situations, targeted chemotherapy is performed;

- If the disease developed against the background of pneumonia, then antibiotics of a wide spectrum of action are used. Entering them is carried out intravenously, intramuscularly;

- the pleural cavity must be cleaned of effusion, it is used for this purpose by washing with special antimicrobial agents;

- if the pleurisy is rheumatic or tubercular, it is very effective to use prednisolone, streptomycin, tubazid, ftivazid and PASK;

- therapeutic methods are used to strengthen protective-immunobiological functions.

Phytotherapy is often used in combination with other methods of treatment. However, before taking any collection, you need to familiarize yourself with its contraindications.

In the treatment of pleurisy, an important point is the treatment of the underlying ailment, which was the cause of the disease. With dry pleurisy, pain can be alleviated by bandaging the breasts with elastic bandages. In this case, the patient is prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, which greatly facilitate the course of the disease.