Inflammation of the pleura, the thin membrane lining the lungs and chest cavity, causing sharp chest pain that worsens with breathing or coughing. Also known as pleurisy.
From Greek 'pleura' meaning 'side' or 'rib' (referring to the membrane lining the chest) and '-itis' meaning 'inflammation.' The condition has been recognized since ancient times, with Hippocrates describing pleuritic pain in his medical writings.
Pleuritic chest pain is so distinctive that doctors can often diagnose it just by listening to patients describe how breathing feels like being stabbed with a knife. The pleural friction rub heard through a stethoscope sounds like leather rubbing together as the inflamed surfaces scrape against each other.
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