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Pleurisy while pregnant

05/04/2009

Question:

I am 8 months pregnant and think I`m getting pleurisy. I had it about 4 times last year and pnumonia once for which I was in hospital for. I would like to know what kind of treatment is available for pleurisy during pregnancy. And can the treatment cause complications in pregnancy or bring on early labour?

Answer:

Pleurisy is a symptom of many diseases but it is not a diagnosis in and of itself. Some of the conditions that can cause pleurisy include infections, pulmonary embolism (blood clots), and rheumatologic diseases (like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis). Pleurisy occurs when there is sharp chest pain that is worse when a person breaths in. It is not normal to get pleurisy from pregnancy so it is important to discuss these symptoms with your physician to determine if there are any other reasons for the pleurisy.

For more information:

Go to the Lung diseases health topic.