5 Signs Your Respiratory Condition Is Pleural Effusion

When you think about fluid and the lungs, your mind might go to pneumonia. With that condition, fluid can build up inside your lungs. Pneumonia isn’t the only fluid-related lung issue, though.

In some cases, a respiratory or other health condition can cause fluid to build up in the lining outside the lungs, causing what medical experts call pleural effusion. If you have this condition, you need a two-pronged treatment. First, you need medication or a procedure to drain the excess fluid. Second, you need to treat the underlying condition that caused the effusion in the first place.

We can help with both. As experts in respiratory conditions, our team can diagnose both pleural effusion and the underlying cause of it. Then, we treat both. Visit us at Medical Associates Of North Texas in Fort Worth, Texas, if you think you might have a respiratory condition, and particularly if you have signs of pleural effusion. 

Understanding pleural effusion

To understand pleural effusion, it helps to first understand pleura. Your pleura is a thin layer of membrane that lines your chest cavity and covers your lungs.

You want some moisture in your pleura. Your body naturally produces fluid to lubricate that membrane, allowing your lungs to move smoothly as you breathe. 

Pleural effusion develops when there’s too much fluid, though. Effusion means that an excess amount of fluid has accumulated.

This can happen because your body is creating too much fluid, or your pleura isn’t absorbing enough. In other cases, this condition develops because fluid develops in other parts of your body, like your heart or liver, and leaks into the pleural space. 

Other conditions, like pneumonia or tuberculosis, can cause pleural effusion. 

5 signs you have pleural effusion

A lot of the signs of pleural effusion overlap with respiratory conditions. You may even think you just have a bad chest cold. 

Five signs you may be living with excess fluid in the pleural space include:

• A cough
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain when you cough or take a deep breath
• Difficulty getting a full breath unless you’re sitting or standing up straight
• Rapid breathing

In other words, abnormal breathing is a big warning sign that you might have this condition. 

In some cases, pleural effusion can also cause hiccups. If the fluid gets infected, you might also have a fever and chills. 

If any of this sounds familiar, don’t hesitate to visit our team here at Medical Associates of North Texas. We specialize in diagnosing and treating pleural effusion. We may recommend painless, noninvasive diagnostic tests like an X-ray, computed tomography (CT) scan, or ultrasound to see what’s happening in and around your lungs. This allows us to tailor treatment to you. 

To get the care your lungs need for a respiratory condition, including pleural effusion, send us a message online or call our office at 972-433-7178 to book your appointment today.