Empyema

Symptoms:

• a dry cough
• a fever and chills
• excessive sweating, especially night sweats
• general discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
• weight loss
• chest pain, worse on deep inspiration (inhalation)

Signs and tests:

Abnormal findings, such as friction rub, may be noted when listening to the chest with a stethoscope (auscultation).

Tests include:

• pleural fluid gram stain and culture
• chest X-ray