Why does pleural effusion cause dry cough?

[Ugly Duckling]

Why does pleural effusion cause dry cough?

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

I think the lungs are just sort of bothered by the presence of fluid between them and the chest wall. Remember the class "sharp, stabbing pain" upon inhalation with pleurisy, plus the presence of the fluid takes up space where the lungs would normally inflate which can make breathing more difficult. It's dry because they're dry inside. The fluid is outside.

Those are my recolletions. Am I right? ???

[teeniebert, LPN]

Yep! Fluid in the pleural space prevents the lungs from expanding fully, but so does fluid in the lungs. The body reacts to decreased expansion capacity by trying to expel the fluid/blockage by coughing. It doesn't work, so the cough continues...ad nauseum.

[anonymousstudent]

Do you prefer these answers to the ones you got on Yahoo?

OP, did you buy the book you need for class?

[JBudd, MSN]

You're allowed to come and ask questions, she hardly asked you to write her term paper for her. I got the sense that it was why dry instead of wet. Sometimes people just get a mental block about something simple. Relax........

[anonymousstudent]

You're allowed to come and ask questions, she hardly asked you to write her term paper for her. I got the sense that it was why dry instead of wet. Sometimes people just get a mental block about something simple. Relax........

I agree that people should be able to come here and ask questions. It's the volume of questions she posts that makes me wonder if she's actually reading the book to find the answers. Just an observation. Taken alone this question is no big deal...it's the overall context that elicited my remark.

[JBudd, MSN]

I agree that people should be able to come here and ask questions. It's the volume of questions she posts that makes me wonder if she's actually reading the book to find the answers. Just an observation. Taken alone this question is no big deal...it's the overall context that elicited my remark.

Gotcha.