The key difference between hemothorax and pleural effusion is that hemothorax is the accumulation of blood within the pleural cavity outside the lungs, while pleural effusion is the building up of excess fluid within the pleural cavity outside the lungs.
The pleura is the membrane present inside the thoracic cavity and covers the lungs. It is a large sheet of tissue that wraps around the outside of the lungs. There are several diseases that affect pleura, which are called pleural diseases. Hemothorax and pleural effusion are two different types of pleural diseases.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Hemothorax
3. What is Pleural Effusion
4. Similarities – Hemothorax and Pleural Effusion
5. Hemothorax vs Pleural Effusion in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Hemothorax vs Pleural Effusion
What is Hemothorax?
Hemothorax is a medical condition involving the accumulation of blood within the pleural cavity. The build-up of the volume of blood in the pleural cavity can cause the lung to collapse. Symptoms of this condition may include shortness of breath, rapid and shallow breathing, chest pain, low blood pressure (shock), pale, cool, and clammy skin, rapid heart rate, anxiety, restlessness, breaking out in cold sweats, and high fever. There are many causes for hemothorax. Generally, it is caused by an injury. But it can also occur spontaneously due to cancer invading the pleural cavity, due to a blood clotting disorder, as a result of an unusual manifestation of endometriosis, in response to collapsed lungs, or due to other conditions such as neurofibromatosis type 1 and extramedullary hematopoiesis (rarely).
Figure 01: Hemothorax
Moreover, hemothorax is normally diagnosed using a chest X-ray. However, it can also be identified through other imaging tests such as ultrasound, CT scan, and MRI. It can be differentiated from other forms of fluid within the pleural cavity by analyzing a sample of the fluid in the pleural cavity. Furthermore, hemothorax may be treated by draining the blood using a chest tube and surgery (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery) if the bleeding continues. Other treatments include thoracentesis, hormonal therapy, reversing anticoagulant medications, giving prophylactic antibiotics, and fibrinolytic therapy.
What is Pleural Effusion?
Pleural effusion is a medical condition that involves the building up of excess fluid between the layers of the pleura outside the lungs. It is also known as water in the lungs. Some of the more common causes for pleural effusion include leaking from other organs, cancer, infections (pneumonia or tuberculosis), autoimmune disorders such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, and pulmonary embolism. There are two types of pleural effusions: transudative and exudative. In transudative effusion, the effusion fluid is similar to the normal fluid in the pleural space. On the other hand, in exudative effusion, the effusion fluid contains liquid, protein, blood, inflammatory cells, or sometimes bacteria that leak across damaged blood vessels into the pleura.
Figure 02: Pleural Effusion
Moreover, the symptoms of this condition may include shortness of breath, chest pain while breathing, fever, and cough. Pleural effusion can be diagnosed through physical examination, chest X-ray, CT scan, and ultrasound. Furthermore, the treatment options for pleural effusion include antibiotics, diuretics, thoracentesis, tube thoracostomy, pleural drain, pleurodesis, and pleural decortications.
What are the Similarities Between Hemothorax and Pleural Effusion?
- Hemothorax and pleural effusion are two different types of pleural diseases.
- Both conditions affect the pleural space.
- In both conditions, blood can be present in the pleural cavity.
- They can be diagnosed through similar methods.
- They are treated with medicines such as antibiotics and respective surgeries.
What is the Difference Between Hemothorax and Pleural Effusion?
Hemothorax is the accumulation of blood within the pleural cavity outside the lungs while pleural effusion is the building up of excess fluid within the pleural cavity outside the lungs. Thus, this is the key difference between hemothorax and pleural effusion. Furthermore, the symptoms of hemothorax include shortness of breathing, rapid and shallow breathing, chest pain, low blood pressure (shock), pale, cool and clammy skin, rapid heart rate, anxiety, restlessness, breaking out in cold sweats, and high fever. On the other hand, the symptoms of pleural effusion include shortness of breath, chest pain while breathing, fever and cough.
The below infographic presents the differences between hemothorax and pleural effusion in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Hemothorax vs Pleural Effusion
Hemothorax and pleural effusion are two different types of pleural diseases. Hemothorax is the accumulation of blood within the pleural cavity outside the lungs while pleural effusion is the building up of excess fluid within the pleural cavity outside the lungs. So, this is the key difference between hemothorax and pleural effusion.
Reference:
1. “Pleural Effusion: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. Jewell, Tim. “Hemothorax: Definition, Symptoms, and Treatment.” Healthline, Healthline Media.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Hemothorax” By R. Amin and B. H. Waibel – NCBI (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Diagram showing a build up of fluid in the lining of the lungs (pleural effusion) CRUK 054” By Cancer Research UK – Original email from CRUK (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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