Pulmonary effusion is medically called pleural effusion. The causes of pleural effusion in the elderly include increased vascular hydrostatic pressure, increased vascular permeability, decreased colloid osmotic pressure, and impaired lymphatic return.
1. Increased vascular hydrostatic pressure: it refers to the imbalance of pressure inside and outside the blood vessels, so that the fluid inside the blood vessels leaks into the pleural cavity, such as congestive heart failure, constrictive pericarditis, and so on.
2. Increased vascular permeability: increased vascular permeability and decreased barrier effect of the vascular wall cause intravascular fluid to enter into the pleural cavity, such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
3. Decrease in colloid osmotic pressure: plasma proteins contained in plasma maintain the colloid osmotic pressure of blood vessels. Decrease in osmotic pressure can lead to a constant increase in the fluid in the pleural cavity, such as hypoalbuminemia, cirrhosis of the liver, nephrotic syndrome and so on, which can cause this symptom.
4. Lymphatic reflux obstruction: the occurrence of malignant tumors will block the lymphatic vessels, leading to the obstruction of fluid reflux in the pleural cavity.
It is suggested that patients should seek medical treatment in time to avoid delaying the condition.