• Chest pain, which worsens when you breathe in deeply (pleurisy)
• Dry cough
• Excessive sweating, especially night sweats
• Fever and chills
• General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
• Shortness of breath
• Weight loss (unintentional)

The health care provider may note decreased breath sounds or an abnormal sound (friction rub) when listening to the chest with a stethoscope (auscultation).

Tests may include the following:

• Chest x-ray
• CT scan of chest
• Pleural fluid Gram stain and culture
• Thoracentesis

Images

Lungs

Respiratory system

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Empyema Overview

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Empyema Treatment

Review Date: 03/11/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)