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Aetiology

Authoring team

Causes include: (1,2)

  • pneumonia especially pneumococcal pneumonia
  • pulmonary infarction
  • malignancy e.g. bronchogenic carcinoma
  • lung abscess
  • bronchiectasis
  • asbestos pleural disease, including mesothelioma
  • trauma

Viruses are among the most common causes and these include:

  • Coxsackieviruses (Bornholm disease)
  • Adenovirus
  • Epstein-Barr virus
  • Influenza virus
  • Cytomegalovirus
  • Herpes zoster
  • Mumps
  • Parainfluenza virus
  • Respiratory syncytial virus
  • Viral pneumonia

Rare causes include:

  • tuberculosis
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • systemic lupus erythematosus
  • uraemia
  • Familial Mediterranean fever

Overall, 30% to 40% of cases are classified as idiopathic (3)

References

  1. Reamy BV, Williams PM, Odom MR. Pleuritic Chest Pain: Sorting Through the Differential Diagnosis. Am Fam Physician. 2017 Sep 01;96(5):306-312.
  2. Roberts ME, Rahman NM, Maskell NA, et al. British Thoracic Society guideline for pleural disease. Thorax. 2023 Jul;78(suppl 3):s1-42.
  3. Castaniere I, Tonelli R, Fantini R, Marchioni A, Garofalo M, Clini EM, Cerri S. The encaged lung: rapidly progressive idiopathic pleurisy. Oxf Med Case Reports. 2018 Aug;2018(8):omy041.

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