Pain in the lungs

Pain in the lungs is a relative term, since the lungs can not hurt. The appearance of pain in the chest, against the background of the available cough, shortness of breath and increased body temperature, should be directly associated with the inflammation of not only the airways, but also the lung tissue itself. However, pain in the lungs never arises if the pleura, bronchi or trachea are not involved in the inflammation process. The fact is that there are no pain receptors in the lung tissue, therefore, such diseases as pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, lung cancer in the early stages - proceed painlessly.

Hence the conclusion that the expression "pain in the lungs" is not entirely correct. It will be more correct, to describe the pain symptom, to use such a phrase as pain in the lungs. But, from the way the complaint about the pain symptom is formed, the problem itself does not change. The defeat of the respiratory organs is always accompanied by a whole pleiad of symptomatic complexes, which are accompanied not only by pain, but also by a feeling of fear, from shortness of breath, from high fever, from severe cough and sputum, especially if sputum is separated in large quantities.

When differentiating pain in the chest, it is necessary to take into account its intensity, localization, irradiation, communication with coughing, shortness of breath, physical exertion. It should also be noted the effectiveness of painkillers. Only an experienced doctor can understand such difficult questions, so if you have pain in the lungs, do not self-medicate.

[1], [2], [3], [4]

What causes pain in the lungs?

As already mentioned above, some pulmonary diseases are completely painless, against a background of a slight increase in body temperature, especially in the early stages of the onset of the inflammatory process. Such an insidious way behaves, for example, pneumonia. Until the inflammation spreads to the pleura, there will be no pain, and pleural involvement, with pneumonia, does not always happen.

But most importantly, the pain in the lungs can hide completely unexpected diagnoses related to the large intestine and heart, duodenum and spine, to the pancreas, joints, muscles, nerves and blood vessels.

First and foremost, it is necessary to know the main diseases and the causes that cause pain in the lungs, in order to be able to approximately orient yourself in a situation when encountering pains in the chest. For simplicity and clarity, we divide all the causes into several blocks, in relation to the main suffering organ or organ system:

• diseases of respiratory organs proper - pleurisy, croupous pneumonia, pneumothorax, bronchitis, tracheitis;
• diseases of the bone apparatus, in particular ribs-rib osteomyelitis, bruises and fractures of ribs, tuberculosis of rib bones, oncological rib lesions, including metastases in the breast, as well as osteomalacia of the bones and many other lesions;
• cardiovascular diseases;
• joint diseases - arthritis, especially infectious genesis, arising from the defeat of syphilis, tuberculosis, actinomycosis. Arthrosis, articular tumors, Bekhterev's disease;
• diseases of muscles - myositis of different genesis. Predictors of myositis of the pectoral muscles can become pathogens of infectious origin - the influenza virus, typhoid fever, the causative agent of gonorrhea. Foci of chronic infections - syphilis or tuberculosis. Disorders of metabolic processes - the presence of diabetes mellitus or gout. In addition, pain in the lungs can cause muscle injuries and neuralgia;
• flatulence. The physiological location of the large intestine, with excessive accumulation of gases inside it, implies the likelihood of pain in the chest.

Angina pectoris

The pain occurs swiftly, behind the breastbone, can spread to the left half of the chest, the left shoulder, the stomach area. It is accompanied by a feeling of fear, weakness, shortness of breath, pallor and sweating. The cause of this pain is spasm of the coronary vessels, so simple painkillers are ineffective. With stenocardia will help validol, nitroglycerin, sostak-forte. I want to draw your attention to the fact that if the attack lasts more than an hour, you need to be wary of myocardial infarction.

[5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11]

Tracheitis

Pain in the lungs is scarring, localized in the upper part of the sternum, accompanied by a dry, barking cough. Pain and cough intensify with deep breathing, physical exertion, cold air into the trachea. Relief brings a warm drink, wrapping, gargling, antibacterial drugs designed for resorption in the mouth. With an increase in body temperature, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics for you.

Bronchitis

Pain in the lungs is diffuse, it is impossible to specify exact localization. The pain intensifies with every breath, and with a deep breath there appears a paroxysmal cough, at first dry, and after a few days - moist. Sputum secreted by coughing can be both mucous and purulent. Breathing becomes superficial, there is weakness, dyspnea, a rapid pulse. There is also a fever, headache, and lack of appetite.

[12], [13], [14], [15]

Croupous pneumonia

An acute infectious disease that affects one or more lobes. Pain in the lungs while stitching, accompanied by a dry, painful cough, fever, chills, shortness of breath, headache and joint pain, pallor, cyanotic fingertips. Subsequently, the cough becomes wet, with the release of viscous sputum rusty. Croup pneumonia is often complicated by pulmonary edema, and treatment should be performed under the supervision of a doctor.

[16], [17], [18]

Pleurisy

The pleura is a fibrous membrane consisting of two leaves. One piece of the pleura is fused to the surface of the lungs, and the second - to the ribs, and lining the chest cavity from the inside. Due to the pleura, the friction of the lungs on the ribs decreases with breathing. Pleurisy - inflammation of the pleura - can be unilateral or bilateral, dry or exudative. It occurs against the background of tuberculosis, pneumonia, abscess or lung infarction, lung tumors, rheumatism, echinococcosis, uremia.

Pain in the lungs with dry pleurisy stitching, one- or two-sided, is more often localized in the lower and lateral parts of the chest, increases with deep breathing, coughing, and abrupt movements. The position of the patient's body is forced-on the affected side, as the excursion of the thorax decreases. If dry pleurisy passes into the exudative, then serous, serous-purulent or purulent effusion accumulates between the pleura sheets. The pain gradually decreases and passes, but the movement of the chest from the affected side also decreases. Pressure exudate on the lung does not allow him to turn around when you inhale. There is shortness of breath, tachycardia, cyanosis (cyanosis), general weakness. Treatment of pleurisy is complex, complex, conducted in the hospital.

Pneumothorax

Pneumothorax - the flow of air into the pleural cavity. Between the pleura sheets there is a sealed cavity, the atmospheric pressure in which is negative. The breach of the tightness of this cavity results in incoming air inside the air, equalizing the pressure and falling off of the lung on the damaged side. The cause of pneumothorax can be chest injuries, cancer, abscess, pulmonary tuberculosis. In this case, the pain in the lungs is sharp, prolonged, appears suddenly, intensifies with breathing, talking, moving. The pain is accompanied by a sharp pallor, frequent shallow breathing, a frequent weak pulse, a decrease in blood pressure, a dry cough. The thorax on the injured side is dilated, lagging behind in motion from the intact.

Lungs' cancer

Pain in the lungs appears in the late stages of the disease, when the tumor affects the sensitive elements of the chest cavity: large bronchi, pleura, ribs. The pain has a different localization and can be acute, aching, stinging, increasing with breathing and coughing, occupying a certain place or extending to the entire thorax, radiating to the shoulder, neck, epigastric region. The pain has a persistent character and briefly subsides under the influence of strong painkillers. The general condition of patients is severe. There is coughing, shortness of breath, fever, general exhaustion, in some cases - hemoptysis, pulmonary edema.

Pain of bone origin

The thorax includes 12 vertebrae, 12 pairs of ribs and sternum. The periosteum covering them contains a large number of sensitive nerve endings, and its damage leads to the appearance of strong, persistent pain in the place of localization of the pathological process, often accompanied by an increase in temperature. The cause of the pain can be:

• trauma to the bones of the chest (bruise, fracture, fracture)
• inflammatory process (osteomyelitis, tuberculosis, actinomycosis, syphilis)
• tumor lesions of bones (benign, malignant, primary, secondary)
• dystrophic processes in the bones (osteoporosis, osteomalacia).

Pain of joint origin

The bones of the chest are joined together by a variety of joints that provide flexibility of the spine. The cause of joint pain can be arthritis, arthrosis, joint swelling. At the same time there is swelling, redness, tenderness of the joint when moving or pressing. At the site of inflammation, fever may increase. Treatment depends on the causes of the disease, and varies significantly.

Pain of muscular origin

The cause of pain in the muscles are myositis - inflammation of muscles of various origins. These can be infections (flu, tuberculosis, typhoid fever), metabolic diseases (diabetes mellitus, gout), fatigue or muscle injuries. The affected muscle is thickened, painful on palpation, hot to the touch. Pain is aggravated by movement, changes in body position, deep breathing. Cough and dyspnea with myositis there. Treatment consists in the use of anti-inflammatory and warming ointments, balms, compresses.

Pain of intestinal origin

From below, the thoracic cavity is separated from the abdominal cavity by a muscular dome - the diaphragm, which penetrates deep under the edge of the costal arch. The accumulation of gases in the large intestine, in the so-called splenic flexure, can provoke severe paroxysmal pain to the left of the sternum or throughout the epigastric region. After removing gases from the intestine, the pain stops.

Pain in the lungs: types and characteristics

It is necessary to distinguish several types of pain that can occur in the region of the chest. In one case, the nature of the pain and its intensity will indicate a defeat of the respiratory system in another case, all signs will indicate the onset of the development of a heart attack.

So. Acute soreness in the chest, accompanied by a strong cough, the presence of dyspnea and increased body temperature - there is evidence of a lesion of the pleura. Another proof in favor of this conclusion is the strengthening of dyspnea at the time of inspiration, the code of the pleura begins to stretch under the influence of an increase in lung volume.

Tracheitis is characterized by pain in the lungs with a clear localization behind the sternum. Inflammatory processes in the trachea are necessarily accompanied by a strong, nauseous cough, in which the pain is repeatedly amplified.

Particular caution should be caused by pain in the chest, which is hard to cope with, accompanied by shortness of breath and dependence on the position of the body, increasing at the time of movement. Such pain occurs with neuralgia of the intercostal muscles, spinal cord injury in the thoracic region, as well as with the same pleurisy and radiculitis.

With caution, you need to perceive chest pain, called irradiative. Remember, the pain in the left side of the chest that gives the irradiation to the left hand, with the numbness of the limb fingers, definitely indicates the defeat of the coronary heart. When there is chest pain, you should always carry out a detailed differential diagnosis with all heart diseases.

For a simple ordinary person, any pain in the chest is, first of all, pain in the lungs, and will remain so until a complete diagnosis is performed. In view of this, consider the main diagnostic methods.

Pain in the lungs and its diagnosis

First, you need to determine which specialist you need to contact first. It can be, depending on the situation:

• therapist;
• traumatologist;
• cardiologist;
• pulmonologist;
• oncologist.

If chest pains appear for the first time, have a sudden and seizure start, then it should be as soon as possible to contact an emergency specialist. Turning to the ambulance operator you can get primary recommendations and the necessary set of therapeutic services.

Chest X-ray, in some cases in three projections - front and sides, allows to identify the majority of lung diseases, including bronchial inflammation, and exudative pleurisy.

A computer tomogram, like a magnetic resonance tomography, comes to the aid of specialists in the diagnosis of cardiac, vascular, bone, joint and complex diseases. In difficult situations, diagnostic doctors use the method of biopsy, when a piece of affected tissue from the focus of inflammation is taken for the study.

The informativeness of instrumental diagnostic methods is supplemented by indicators of general and clinical analyzes of blood and urine. An increase in the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation, a high content of leukocytes in the blood is always evidence of the development of inflammation in the body.

How to treat pain in the lungs?

If it is a question of pain in the respiratory organs, whether it be a pleura, bronchus or trachea, then the therapeutic measures will include a complex consisting of anti-inflammatory drugs, mainly antibacterial nature, for example, antibiotics of the latest generation, including such drugs as ciprolet, ceftriaxone, cefazolin and others.

Expectorant and antitussive, in different stages of treatment. And it is in this order, at first expectorants and only after the sputum began to depart well, without delays, you can proceed to the use of antitussive drugs.

Do not exclude the possibility of prescribing antihistamines and drugs that enhance the drainage function of the respiratory system, for example, euphyllin. Immunostimulants and vitamins are also included in the mandatory treatment regimen.

Each case of the disease requires its own peculiarities in the treatment approach. Someone will require the introduction of drugs intramuscularly, and for someone, the best options will be an intravenous drip introduction, for rapid removal of intoxication. But for all patients without pain, who have pain in the lungs, there are strict rules - observance of strict bed rest or sparing regimen (again, depending on the situation), proper nutrition consisting of high-calorie and fortified foods, complete refusal to smoke and taking alcohol .

Along with drug therapy, a complex of physiotherapy and restorative measures is performed after the acute inflammatory stage has been stopped.

Pleurisy, especially exudative, croupous pneumonia, in fact, like any pneumonia, tuberculosis, lung infarction, pneumothorax - all these diseases require a long treatment period and an even longer recovery period. Some diseases have their outcome as a complete recovery, others are forced to put up with the presence of a chronic focus, which requires careful monitoring with periodic courses of medical examination.

In all other cases, when chest pains appear due to the development of a pathological process in organs not related to the respiratory system, a set of therapeutic measures will depend on the affected organ, the degree of complexity of the developing disease and the concomitant complications.

What if you have pain in your lungs?

So, pain in the lungs can accompany many different diseases. In most cases, a radiograph of the lungs and laboratory diagnostics is required to make an accurate diagnosis, so do not self-medicate, and be healthy!

Prevention of pulmonary diseases

Compliance with simple rules for maintaining one's own health, which includes proper nutrition, the rejection of bad habits, the timely treatment of colds, the elimination of foci of chronic infection in the form of carious teeth and tonsillitis - to a greater extent, helps to protect the respiratory system from the development of inflammatory processes in them. A great role is played by hypothermia. As medical statistics show, six out of ten patients with pneumonia reported prolonged hypothermia before the first symptoms of the disease appeared.

The disease appears when a person has done something wrong, admitted, with respect to his body, some kind of oversight. During the treatment, it will be time to analyze the situation and try to follow all the precautions in the future, then the pain in the lungs and many other diseases will recede and possibly even disappear from your life.