Pneumothorax is the detachment of the membrane surrounding the lungs, causing severe pain in the chest and difficulty breathing. It happens unexpectedly, mostly in people thin, elongated, and also in smokers.
What’s this?
A pneumothorax is due to the introduction of a certain volume of air between two layers of the pleura, the membrane surrounding the lungs. The two layers in question are practically glued to each other, there is one that is located against the wall of the chest, the parietal pleura, while the other layer, the visceral pleura, the lung is stuck. The air introduced between the two layers induces a detachment of the pleura, while rejecting the lung.
What are the causes?
There are two types of pneumothorax: the idiopathic and non idiopathic form.
Idiopathic form: this type of pneumothorax has no particular cause. It usually occurs in people aged between 20 and 40 years, with a morphology rather thin and elongated, preferably in subjects smoking. The risk of recurrence is high enough that form.
Not idiopathic form: sometimes it is very special events that will cause the pneumothorax, hence the distinction with idiopathic, of unknown cause. Thus, it can result in a puncture, trauma of the chest or lung disease (emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis).
