Why does the area below my lungs hurt when I take a deep breath?
Sep 13, 2022
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Jiang Weimin
Introduction
Take a deep breath: pain beneath the lungs may be caused by a “stitch” (exercise-related transient abdominal pain) or conditions such as tuberculosis. Pain may manifest during deep breathing or coughing—especially when turning to the side—as chest tightness, vague or shifting discomfort, widespread or radiating pain, and shortness of breath. A hallmark symptom of pulmonary tuberculosis is persistent cough; some patients experience hemoptysis (coughing up blood), and others may feel pain beneath the lungs upon deep inhalation.
Taking a deep breath causes pain beneath the lungs; possible factors include a side stitch or conditions such as tuberculosis.
1. Side Stitch
Patients may experience lung pain and symptoms of a side stitch, including chest pain, during deep breathing. The pain worsens with deep breaths and can be relieved by applying heat or resting. A side stitch, also known as acute chest rib pain, often occurs during deep breathing, coughing, or turning the body sideways, manifesting as chest tightness, intermittent pain, widespread pain, radiating pain, and shortness of breath.
2. Tuberculosis
The typical symptom of tuberculosis is coughing, and some patients may experience hemoptysis (coughing up blood). Aside from bronchiectasis or lung cancer, which might cause bloody sputum due to respiratory infections, tuberculosis has a relatively high clinical incidence of hemoptysis among infectious diseases. Even if patients do not present with low-grade fever and night sweats, a diagnosis of tuberculosis is commonly made clinically when hemoptysis and lung lesions are present, or when systemic inflammatory responses are not severe. Therefore, typical symptoms of tuberculosis include cough, small amounts of sputum, low-grade fever, fatigue, night sweats, or hemoptysis; severe cases may develop persistent high fever.
