Pleural Diseases in Pregnancy: Aetiology and Management.
Pleural diseases in pregnancy can cause significant maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. It
is important that clinicians caring for pregnant women are well informed about these conditions
so that they make early diagnosis and institute prompt treatment plans. Pleural effusions,
pneumomediastium and pneumothorax are known complications of pregnancy.
The other pleural conditions that can occur in pregnancy are empyema that can occur after a pneumonic
spell and haemothorax following a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. Pregnancy is a risk factor for
pulmonary complications due to its immunosuppressive nature.
Pulmonary symptomatology may be confused with normal physiological changes. Clinicians should maintain vigilance to
differentiate pathology from normal physiology. Areas with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS
have high incidences of pleural diseases.
HIV and pulmonary tuberculosis in pregnancy lead to a high chance of pleural disease complications. Careful multi-disciplinary team management involving the obstetricians, paediatricians, anaesthetists, pneumologists and thoracic surgeons in intensive care settings can save lives.
Pregnancy complicated by hyperemesis gravidurum can result in oesophageal perforation resulting in pneumomediastinum and pleural effusions. In vitro fertilisation techniques can
complicate with severe ovarian hyperstimulation system resulting in pleural effusions.
Metastatic disease may present with pleural effusions. Pulmonary tuberculosis can complicate
with bilateral pleural effusions as well as severe preeclamptic patients may also complicate
with pleural effusions. Spontaneous pneumothoraces can occur in pregnancy and these may
be recurrent. The signs and symptoms may include dyspnoea, cough and chest pains.
Pulm Res Respir Med Open J. 2017; 4(1): 21-23. doi: 10.17140/PRRMOJ-4-134
