Pleurisy

Alternative names:

pleuritis

Symptoms:

• recent or present respiratory illness with its symptoms
  • cough
  • fever
  • malaise

• localized chest pain on the chest wall
  • pain with each breath
  • worsened by coughing
  • worsened by deep breathing

Signs and tests:

Physical examination may show abnormal lung sounds:

• a friction rub -- a rough scratchy sound that accompanies inspiration and expiration
• rales (may be present if there is an accompanying pneumonia)
• rhonchi (may be present with accompanying pneumonia or bronchitic process)
• decreased breath sounds (may be present if there is a collection of fluid around the lung

Tests:

• CBC (may help differentiate bacterial versus viral infection)
• X-ray of the chest
• ultrasound of the chest
• thoracentesis (a collection of fluid from the pleural cavity)