Clinical features
Lung abscess most commonly runs a sub-acute or chronic course with an insidious onset of non-specific symptoms and general malaise, but it may present acutely with aggressive infection. The duration of symptoms before diagnosis is extremely variable, ranging from several days to 6 weeks.
The typical clinical features of a lung abscess include:
- the symptoms and signs of a pneumonitis:
- shivers
- fever
- pleuritic chest pain
- general systemic upset, malaise and fatigue
- the discharge of the abscess into a bronchus:
- cough
- the sputum is copious and foul smelling
- the sputum is initially blood-stained but may become green or brown with time
- fever and malaise may abate in a chronic lung abscess
- clubbing, which may develop rapidly
- signs of a pleural effusion or consolidation
- pleural rub
- symptoms relating to metastatic abscesses e.g. cerebral
Reference
- Maitre T, Ok V, Calin R, et al. Pyogenic lung abscess in an infectious disease unit: a 20-year retrospective study. Ther Adv Respir Dis. 2021 Jan-Dec;15:17534666211003012.
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