14 Known Causes of Pleural Effusion

Oxygen is extremely important when it comes to our survival. We take oxygen in through the air that we breathe in. The air is taken in through the lungs.

The lungs are constantly inhaling and exhaling in order to provide our body with a steady stream of air that is full of oxygen. Once oxygen is absorbed into the blood it is then transported throughout the body where it is needed. The lungs are made up of soft tissues. These soft tissues are protected by linings that help protect the lungs from rubbing up against the other tissues.

There is a bit of fluid between the linings that acts as a lubricant. At times excess fluid may accumulate between the linings. When this happens it is a medical condition referred to as pleural effusion. If left untreated this can cause some major issues in the body. Here are 8 known causes of pleural effusion.

1. Congestive Heart Failure

Each day of your life the heart will constantly pump. This keeps the blood flowing all throughout the body. The pumping of the blood throughout the body ensures that all areas of the body are supplied with the nutrition and oxygen that we need every single minute of every day in order to survive.

When the circulation is affected for any reason, medical complications may arise. One condition that can affect the circulation of blood throughout the body is congestive heart failure. When a person has congestive heart failure the blood does not flow the way that it should. When this occurs fluid can start to collect in areas where it normally would flow away.

The accumulation of fluid in the layers of lining in the lungs is one of the symptoms of congestive heart failure. Congestive heart failure can cause pleural effusion. In addition, a person with congestive heart failure may also experience pleural effusion as a symptom.