Pleurisy
Inflammation of the pleurae, the membranes surrounding the lungs. Symptoms include pain in the chest, chest tenderness, cough, and shortness of breath. The chest pain is sharp and aggravated by breathing. A physician can often hear with a stethoscope the friction generated by the rubbing of the two inflamed layers of pleurae with each breath. The causes of pleurisy include lung infections, collagen vascular diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, cancer of the lung or pleura, heart failure, pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs), obstruction of lymph channels, trauma such as rib fractures, drugs such as Dilantin, pancreatitis, and cirrhosis of the liver. Removal of pleural fluid, when present, with a needle and syringe is key in diagnosing the cause of pleurisy and can also relieve the pain and shortness of breath associated with pleurisy. If the fluid is infected, treatment involves use of antibiotics and drainage of the fluid. In severe cases, in which there are large amounts of pus and scar tissue (adhesions), there may be a need for decortication (opening the pleural space and removing portions of one or two ribs in order to clear scar tissue and remove pus and debris). Also known as pleuritis.
Read Also:
- Pleuritis
Inflammation of the pleura which may be caused by infection, injury or tumor. When the pleura becomes inflamed, it can produce more than the normal amount of fluid, causing a pleural effusion.
- Pleurodesis
A procedure that causes the membranes around the lungs to stick together and prevents the buildup of fluid in the space between the membranes (pleural space). Pleurodesis is done in cases of severe recurrent pleural effusions (outpourings of fluid around the lungs) to prevent the reaccumulation of the fluid. During pleurodesis, an irritant is instilled […]
- Plexus
1. In medicine, a network or tangle of lymphatic vessels, nerves, or veins. For example, the brachial plexus is a network of nerves leading to the arm. In general, any interwoven entity made up of elements in a structure or system.
- PLP1
The gene encoding proteolipid protein, or lipophilin, the primary constituent of myelin. The PLP1 gene is on the X chromosome in band Xq22. Mutations in PLP1 cause Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) and X-linked spastic paraplegia 2 (SPG2).
- Plumbism
Another name for lead poisoning.