Facts about pleural effusion
Dr Md Habibe Millat
A pleural effusion is a collection of fluid between a lung and the chest wall. The pleura is the thin membrane that covers the lungs. There is normally a tiny amount of fluid between the two layers of pleura. This acts like lubricating oil between the lungs and the chest wall as they move when you breathe. An effusion develops when this fluid builds up and separates the lung from the chest wall.A pleural effusion is a complication of a variety of conditions. These include pneumonia, tuberculosis, other lung infections, and tumours (cancers), some arthritic conditions, heart failure cirrhosis of the liver, and some kidney diseases. You may feel some chest pain but a pleural effusion is often painless. The amount of fluid varies. As the effusion becomes larger, it presses on the lung which cannot expand fully when you breathe. You may then become breathless. Other symptoms include cough, chest pain and fever. A chest x-ray confirms a pleural effusion. If the cause of the effusion is known then no further tests may be needed. However, sometimes a pleural effusion is the first sign of an underlying condition. Further tests may then be advised to find the cause of the effusion. These may include lung tests and taking a sample of the fluid for laboratory tests and pleura to examine in the laboratory. A large pleural effusion which makes you breathless can be drained. This is usually done by inserting a needle or tube through the chest wall. A major part of treatment is usually directed to the underlying cause of the effusion. Dr Md Habibe Millat MBBS, FRCS (Edin) is a Senior Specialist Registrar, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cork University Hospital, Republic of Ireland. [Email: [email protected]]
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