pleurisy
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əBased on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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pleurisy (ˈplʊərɪsɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| inflammation of the pleura, characterized by pain that is aggravated by deep breathing or coughing | |
| [C14: from Old French pleurisie, from Late Latin pleurisis, from Greek pleuritis, from pleura side] | |
| pleuritic | |
| —adj, —n | |
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| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
pleurisy
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pleurisy pleu·ri·sy (pl&oobreve;r'ĭ-sē)
n.
An inflammation of the pleura, usually occurring because of complications of a disease such as pneumonia, and accompanied by accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity, chills, fever, and painful breathing and coughing. Also called pleuritis.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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pleurisy (pl r'ĭ-sē) Pronunciation Key
An inflammation of the pleura, usually occurring because of complications of a respiratory disease or condition such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, pleural injury, or asbestos exposure. Pleurisy is usually accompanied by the accumulation of fluid between the pleurae, chills, fever, and painful breathing and coughing. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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pleurisy
inflammation of the pleura, the membranes that line the thoracic cavity and fold in to cover the lungs. Pleurisy may be characterized as dry or wet. In dry pleurisy, little or no abnormal fluid accumulates in the pleural cavity, and the inflamed surfaces of the pleura produce an abnormal sound called a pleural friction rub when they rub against one another during respiration. This rubbing may be felt by the affected person or heard through a stethoscope applied to the surface of the chest. In wet pleurisy, fluids produced by the inflamed tissues accumulate within the pleural cavity, sometimes in quantities sufficient to compress the underlying lung and cause shortness of breath. Because the pleura is well supplied with nerves, pleurisy can be very painful. Pleurisy is commonly caused by infection in the underlying lung and, rarely, by diffuse inflammatory conditions such as lupus erythematosus. Treatment of pleurisy includes pain relief, fluid evacuation, and treatment of the underlying disease.
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