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Clinical features

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The 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

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