Tuberculosis—Pleural Disorders

Your pleura is a large, thin sheet of tissue that wraps around the outside of your lungs and lines the inside of your chest cavity. Between the layers of the pleura is a very thin space. Normally it’s filled with a small amount of fluid. The fluid helps the two layers of the pleura glide smoothly past each other as your lungs breathe air in and out.

Disorders of the pleura include

• Pleurisy – inflammation of the pleura that causes sharp pain with breathing
• Pleural effusion – excess fluid in the pleural space
• Pneumothorax – buildup of air or gas in the pleural space
• Hemothorax – buildup of blood in the pleural space

Many different conditions can cause pleural problems. Viral infection is the most common cause of pleurisy. The most common cause of pleural effusion is congestive heart failure. Lung diseases, like COPD, tuberculosis, and acute lung injury, cause pneumothorax. Injury to the chest is the most common cause of hemothorax. Treatment focuses on removing fluid, air, or blood from the pleural space, relieving symptoms, and treating the underlying condition.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

• Chest tube insertion (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Collapsed lung (pneumothorax) (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Empyema (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Hemothorax (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Lung surgery (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Metastatic pleural tumor (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pleural effusion (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pleurisy (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: TB

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but they can also damage other parts of the body.

TB spreads through the air when a person with TB of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, or talks. If you have been exposed, you should go to your doctor for tests. You are more likely to get TB if you have a weak immune system.

Symptoms of TB in the lungs may include

• A bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Coughing up blood or mucus
• Weakness or fatigue
• Fever
• Night sweats

Skin tests, blood tests, x-rays, and other tests can tell if you have TB. If not treated properly, TB can be deadly. You can usually cure active TB by taking several medicines for a long period of time.

NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

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• Coughing up blood (Medical Encyclopedia)
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• Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) – PDF
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• Pulmonary tuberculosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Taking medicines to treat tuberculosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Tuberculosis Facts – Exposure to TB (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) – PDF
• Tuberculosis Facts – TB Can Be Treated (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) – PDF
• Tuberculosis Facts – Testing for TB (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) – PDF
• Tuberculosis Facts – You Can Prevent TB (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) – PDF
• Tuberculosis: General Information (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) – PDF