I was told in the ER that i have Pleurisy, what causes this?

Question

I was sent home and told to take aspirin for a couple of days and thats it, but the ER doc was in a hurry and didnt tell me what causes Pluerisy, can this ever become a serious thing? i am a 20yr old female from wisconsin.

Answer 1

Ouch. Your lungs have an outer lining, and the inner chest wall has a lining. Normally these linings are smooth; inflammation can cause them to rub together. This causes painful breathing.

Pleurisy can be caused by a viral infection. It can also be idiopathic (no known cause). Usually the symptoms are treated (with anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin, Motrin, or Aleve) and the pleurisy resolves (goes away).

Read more about pleurisy at
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pleurisy/DS00244
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-pleurisy-basics
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/pleurisy-overview

Answer 2

Pleurisy is an infection and fluid buildup of the lining of your lungs, which are called the pleura. It's kind of like having bronchitis, but not as bad as having pneumonia. You should have been prescribed antibiotics, because this can become serious and progress to pneumonia if it goes unchecked. Your instincts are very good, and you need to go back to the doctor tonight or tomorrow and be rechecked and insist on proper treatment. Aspirin definitely is not enough.

Answer 3

It can be caused by a viral infection, an injury or a growth. It can also be caused by pneumonia or TB. When my husband had it he said it was painful to breath but once it was gone he never had it again. Look at the sources I listed, webmd has a good explanation and picture.

Answer 4

Pleurisy is also known as pleuritis which is the inflammation of the pleura which lines the lungs. One of the most common complication of this is pleural effusion which is a medical emergency. The pleaura is a double layer membrane which protects and lubricates the lungs as it inflates and deflates. If there inflammation of the pleura, breathing becomes difficult and fluids enter the pleural space leading to effusion. With effusion there will be shortness of breath because of inability of the lungs to expand fully due to the effusion or the fluid present and inflammation which makes breathing very painful. Among the possible causes are VIRAL INFECTION, or other bacterial lung infections such as pneumonia or TB, or maybe as a result of other diseases such as the autoimmune SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus), chest injuries or drug reactions.