Pleurisy: treatment

Pleurisy is inflammatorya disease of the pleura that arises from the deposition of fibrin on its surface or the accumulation of fluid within 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 quite complex, most often develops on the basis of pneumonia, tuberculosis or lung abscess. In addition, it may 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 treatmentis performed only after this, on the basis of 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 pleurisy is of an infectious nature, thenThe causative agent 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 closing lymphatic vessels, the rate of exudation predominates 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 withthe results of the influence of the products of neoplasms exchange on the pleural sheets, while the lymph vessels are clogged because of the squeezing of the tumors or their metastases, after which the movement of the lymph is disturbed. In this case, the most effective method of treatment is getting rid of the disease that caused pleurisy. Simultaneously, the patient's condition is facilitated by the administration of special medications.

Pleurisy: treatment depending on the clinical picture of the disease

The clinical picture of dry pleurisy can becharacterized by fever, general weakness, pain in the chest, muscles and joints. When deep breaths are taken, there may be acute pain in the chest area, also when the body tilts or during a cough. During the clinical examination of a patient with dry pleurisy, surface respiration, partial lag in the respiratory act of the affected part of the chest, 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. Note cyanosis of the skin of the neck and face, swelling of 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:

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

- if the disease developed against 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 with special antimicrobial preparations;

- 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 this or that collection, you need to familiarize yourself with its contraindications.

In the treatment of pleurisy, the important point istreatment 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.