Symptoms & Signs
- Chest pain, which worsens when you breathe in deeply (inspiration)
- Dry cough
- Excessive sweating, especially night sweats
- Fever and chills
- General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
- Shortness of breath
- Unintentional weight loss
Diagnosis & Tests
The health care provider may note decreased breath sounds or a 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
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Empyema : Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
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Empyema : Symptoms & Signs, Diagnosis & Tests
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Empyema : Treatment
Review Date : 3/17/2009
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.
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