pleuritis

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

Having a pain in your chest can be scary. It does not always mean that you are having a heart attack. There can be many other causes, including:

• Other heart problems, such as angina
• Panic attacks
• Digestive problems, such as heartburn or esophagus disorders
• Sore muscles
• Lung diseases, such as pneumonia, pleurisy, or pulmonary embolism
• Costochondritis - an inflammation of joints in your chest

Some of these problems can be serious. Get immediate medical care if you have chest pain that does not go away, crushing pain or pressure in the chest, or chest pain along with nausea, sweating, dizziness or shortness of breath. Treatment depends on the cause of the pain.