A pneumothorax is when the lung has collapsed due to air entering the space around your lungs (known as the pleural space). Air can enter the pleural space through an opening in your chest wall or in the lung. Air in the pleural space creates an increase in pressure around the lung and causes it to collapse.A pneumothorax can be severe, depending on how much air is trapped in the pleural space. A small amount of trapped air can usually resolve by itself, provided there are no other complications. Larger amounts of trapped air can be serious and lead to death if medical treatment is not obtained.What are the signs and symptoms of a pneumothorax?Symptoms of a traumatic pneumothorax typically occur during the period of trauma or just after. In contrast, symptoms of a spontaneous non-traumatic pneumothorax usually occur when the person is at rest. Sudden, severe chest pain is often the first symptom of a pneumothorax. Other symptoms include:Abnormally fast heart rate (known as tachycardia)Blue-tinged lips and skinBreathlessness on exertionCold sweatsConstant ache and tightness in the chestDifficulty catching your breathSharp pain when breathing in, with fast and shallow breathing.What are the possible treatments for a pneumothorax?Treatment for a pneumothorax will depend on your symptoms, medical history and the severity of the pneumothorax. Treatment options can be both surgical and non-surgical and can include:Chest drain insertion – can be used to help remove excess air in the pleural space, enabling your lungs to expand fully again

Allergic rhinitis is inflammation of the inside of the nose caused by an allergen, such as pollen, dust, mould or flakes of skin from certain animals.It's a very common condition, estimated to affect around 1 in every 5 people in the UK.Symptoms of allergic rhinitisAllergic rhinitis typically causes cold-like symptoms, such as sneezing, itchiness and a blocked or runny nose.These symptoms usually start soon after being exposed to an allergen.Some people only get allergic rhinitis for a few months at a time because they're sensitive to seasonal allergens, such as tree or grass pollen. Other people get allergic rhinitis all year round.Most people with allergic rhinitis have mild symptoms that can be easily and effectively treated.But for some people symptoms can be severe and persistent, causing sleep problems and interfering with everyday life.The symptoms of allergic rhinitis occasionally improve with time, but this can take many years and it's unlikely that the condition will disappear completely.What causes allergic rhinitisAllergic rhinitis is caused by the immune system reacting to an allergen as if it were harmful.This results in cells releasing a number of chemicals that cause the inside layer of your nose (the mucous membrane) to become swollen and too much mucus to be produced.Common allergens that cause allergic rhinitis include pollen (this type of allergic rhinitis is known as hay fever), as well as mould spores, house dust mites, and flakes of skin or droplets of urine or saliva from certain animals.

A parapneumonic effusion is a pleural effusion that forms in the pleural space adjacent to a pneumonia. When microorganisms infect the pleural space, a complicated parapneumonic effusion or empyema may result. Prompt therapy of these entities can be lifesaving. The treatment and prognosis of parapneumonic effusion and empyema are reviewed here. The clinical diagnosis of parapneumonic effusion and empyema in adults and management in children are discussed separately.A parapneumonic effusion refers to the accumulation of fluid in the pleural space in the setting of an adjacent pneumonia.:An uncomplicated or simple parapneumonic effusion refers to a free-flowing effusion that is sterile.A complicated parapneumonic effusion refers to an effusion that has been infected with bacteria or other microorganisms (eg, positive Gram stain or biochemical evidence of marked inflammation).An empyema refers to a collection of pus within the pleural space, which can develop when pyogenic bacteria invade the pleural space, from an adjacent pneumonia, direct inoculation (eg, from blunt trauma) or other source. Empyema that develops from an adjacent pneumonia is a subclass of a complicated parapneumonic effusion. While a complicated parapneumonic effusion and empyema represent a spectrum of infection within the pleural space, no pus is directly visualized in patients with a complicated parapneumonic effusion.A complex effusion refers to an effusion with internal loculations (septae).A uniloculated effusion is one where the effusion is without internal septae (it is not necessarily free-flowing).