Is a lung abscess serious?

Lung cysts are mainly caused by bacterial infection in the lungs resulting in inflammation and necrosis of some tissues, mainly the phenomenon of cysts in the bronchial tubes. Therefore, in daily life, its onset is relatively acute and may cause symptoms such as stomach cold, high fever, cough and sputum. The main symptoms and causes in daily life are poor activity of the lungs and thorax. In life, it is mainly treated with optimized treatment and some important surgeries.

In daily life, diet is the most important thing. Attention should be paid to the prevention and treatment of oral inflammation and chronic infection, and the chance of contaminated secretions entering the lower respiratory tract should be reduced. Now we must seriously prepare for the disease and pay attention to oral care in daily life.

Lung abscesses can be classified according to the time of onset and the pathogen. Acute lung abscesses last no more than 4 to 6 weeks, while chronic abscesses last longer.

When bacterial contaminants are inhaled into the lungs through the mouth and nasal cavity, they block one or a small section of the bronchus, causing distal lung atelectasis, rapid local bacterial growth, inflammation, and small blood vessel embolism. The lung tissue quickly necrotizes and liquefies into an abscess after about a week. The abscess cavity expands and destroys the surrounding small bronchi. Pus can be discharged from the trachea to form an abscess cavity with varying sizes and can be single or multiple and can occur in any part of the lung. The formation of multiple small abscesses (< 2 cm) is associated with pneumonia or pulmonary gangrene. A partially necrotic abscess appears as a semi-solid mass that does not discharge pus into the bronchus, and it looks very much like a tumor. Abscesses are mostly located under the pleura at the edge of the lung. However, due to the early inflammatory adhesions of the pleura, it is rare for the abscess cavity to rupture into the pleura and form empyema or pyopneumothorax. In the acute stage, if the drainage is unobstructed and the pus is discharged smoothly, combined with drug treatment, the lesion can gradually heal, leaving a small amount of fibrous tissue. If the bacteria are highly virulent, treatment is inappropriate, and bronchial drainage is poor, the lesions will expand, and the pulmonary fissures will have little effect in blocking the infection. The lesions often invade adjacent segments and lobes, and even affect the entire lung. If there is valve obstruction in the bronchus, a tension cavity may form, which can easily break into the chest cavity.

If acute abscess is not controlled in time, lung inflammation and abscess cavity will persist for more than 2 to 3 months and become chronic lung abscess. The lungs were damaged in many places, with tortuous sinus tracts connecting them. The lesions were being destroyed but also repaired by tissues, and the abscess cavities were gradually surrounded by thicker fibrous walls. The bronchi expand to varying degrees due to inflammatory invasion and blockage of the openings. Abscesses may remain dormant or spread due to overflow of sputum. Lung tissue shrinks due to fibrosis. The pleura forms tight adhesions due to repeated inflammation, and many blood vessels are connected between the systemic circulation and the pulmonary circulation. There are relatively large blood vessels in the adhesions, and systolic or continuous vascular murmurs (pleural adhesion murmurs) can even be heard on the body surface. The adhesions at the hilum of the lung are very tight, and the bronchial arteries are thickened and enlarged.

Gravity and body position during aspiration are the determining factors of the affected lung segment. Therefore, the dorsal segments of both lower lungs and the lateral subsegments of the anterior and posterior segments of the right upper lobe are common sites of aspiration, accounting for 85% of lung abscesses. Supine lung abscesses occur more often on the right side than on the left side, and are most common in the dorsal segment of the right lower lobe, because the right common bronchus has a small angle with the midline and is relatively thick, making it easy for contaminants to enter. For the same reason, the dorsal segment of the lower lobe, the posterior segment of the upper lobe, and the axillary segment are the most common sites. When lung abscesses occur in the right anterior segment, middle lobe, and lingual segment, predisposing factors such as partial tracheal obstruction or swallowing abnormalities should be suspected.

The above is whether lung cysts are serious. The pathological cause is also very critical. It is mainly urgent and can start with stomach cold, high fever, cough and sputum. The main symptoms and causes in daily life are poor activity of the lungs and chest. Some symptoms in the throat must be cleared and treated in time. Failure to receive timely treatment may lead to other types of diseases.