A lung abscess can be cured withantibiotics, but drainage or surgery may be needed.
This article present lung abscess symptoms and causes, as well as how a lung abscess is diagnosed.
A primary lung abscess develops in a region of pneumonia or another lung disease.
Illustration by Ellen Lindner for Verywell Health
A secondary lung abscess shows up when an infection from another region of the body spreads to the lungs.
Abscesses can be single or multiple.
Multiple abscesses tend to occur with pneumonia or due to sepsis.
Alcohol misuse is the most common risk factor for lung abscess.
It leads to aspiration, the most common cause of a lung abscess.
This leads to tissue death in seven to 14 days.
This feels like changing, and now Klebsiella is commonly found in community-acquired abscesses.Klebsiella is associated with underlying diabetes.
On physical exam, a fever is common.
This is described as dullness to percussion.
CT is also helpful in distinguishing between a lung abscess and empyema.
There are a number of conditions other than abscesses that may cause cavitation in the lungs.
Drainage or surgery is seldom needed for the treatment of lung abscesses.
Drainage is the preferred method of treatment for abscesses in many other regions of the body.
If the abscess doesn’t improve with antibiotics, other treatments may be needed.
Lung physiotherapy and postural drainage are frequently helpful and often are combined with antibiotic treatment.
This is usually considered if no improvement is noted after 10 to 14 days of antibiotics.
Surgery
In very rare cases, surgery may be required.
The most common procedures are a lumpectomy or segmentectomy in which the abscesses and some surrounding tissue are removed.
This can often be done with minimally invasive surgery (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, or VATS).
Prompt recognition and treatment of a lung abscess are important for reducing the risk of complications.
As with many conditions, prevention is key.
Most symptoms are respiratory in nature, such as a cough or pain when breathing.
Diagnosis typically includes chest imaging and testing of sputum samples.
With treatment, most people will recover from a lung abscess.
2023 Jul;29(7):700-702. doi:10.1016/j.jiac.2023.02.005.
Boucher B, Virlan D, Buddharaju V, Chaudhari S.Conservative Approach and Management of Complicated Lung Abscess.Cureus.
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Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.
