Why does the area below the lungs hurt when taking a deep breath?
Apr 19, 2022
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Guo Xiheng
Introduction
Take a deep breath—if you experience pain beneath the lungs, it may be due to a “stitch” (exercise-related transient abdominal pain) or possibly tuberculosis.
1. Pain may occur during deep breathing or coughing, especially when twisting the torso; symptoms include chest tightness, vague or shifting pain, widespread discomfort, radiating pain, and shortness of breath.
2. A classic symptom of pulmonary tuberculosis is cough; some patients may also experience hemoptysis (coughing up blood) alongside the cough.
Taking a deep breath causes pain beneath the lungs—this may be due to “intercostal muscle strain” (a common, non-specific term for acute pleurocostal pain), or possibly tuberculosis.
1. Intercostal muscle strain. Patients experience lung-related pain during deep breathing, and symptoms include chest pain that worsens with deep inhalation. Pain typically improves with local heat application or rest. Also known as acute pleurocostal pain, this condition commonly arises from sudden twisting, coughing, or deep breathing, manifesting as chest tightness, vague or shifting pain over a broad area, radiating pain, and shortness of breath.
2. Pulmonary tuberculosis. The classic symptom of pulmonary tuberculosis is persistent cough; some patients may also experience hemoptysis (coughing up blood). Although hemoptysis can occur in other conditions such as bronchiectasis or lung cancer, tuberculosis carries one of the highest clinical rates of hemoptysis among infectious diseases. Even in the absence of typical systemic symptoms like low-grade fever or night sweats, the presence of hemoptysis combined with pulmonary lesions—or even mild systemic inflammatory responses—often leads clinicians to diagnose pulmonary tuberculosis. Therefore, classic manifestations of pulmonary tuberculosis include chronic cough, scant sputum production, low-grade fever, fatigue, night sweats, and/or hemoptysis; severe cases may present with sustained high fever.
