Serositis

Serositis means inflammation in one or more of your serous membranes. Serous membranes are tissues that line the insides of your body cavities and wrap around the organs there. Inflammation in a serous membrane affects the whole cavity and the organs in it. If you have serositis in one place, it might mean a local infection or tumor. If it’s in more than one place, you might have a systemic (whole-body) disease.

What are the different types of serositis?

Inflammation in your serous membranes (serositis) might mean:

• Peritonitis, which is inflammation in your peritoneum (the membrane that lines your abdominal-pelvic cavity).
• Pleurisy, or inflammation in your pleura (the membrane that lines your chest cavity and wraps around your lungs).
• Pericarditis, inflammation in your pericardium (the fluid-filled sac around your heart).
• Polyserositis, or inflammation in several or all of your serous membranes.

Symptoms of serositis

Inflammation typically causes pain and swelling in your tissues. Depending on the type of serositis you have, this might include:

• Abdominal pain
• Abdominal swelling
• Chest pain
• Tachycardia
• Shortness of breath
• Edema

You may also have other symptoms related to the cause of your serositis, like fever or fatigue.

Serositis causes

The major causes of serositis are:

• Infectious diseases. Serositis in one place might be from a local bacterial infection or viral infection. Polyserositis could be from a bloodstream infection or systemic tuberculosis.
• Cancer. A type of cancer called mesothelioma forms in serous membranes, specifically. Other cancers inside your abdominal cavity or chest cavity may also inflame the serous membrane. Cancers that affect many areas of your body, like blood cancer, may cause polyserositis.
• Autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases that target your connective tissues can cause inflammation throughout your body. This is what rheumatic diseases, like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, are. These diseases can also affect your serous membranes, causing polyserositis.

There are some other, rarer causes of inflammation. Ischemia — loss of blood flow to the tissues — is one. Sometimes, healthcare providers can’t identify a cause. They call these cases “idiopathic serositis.”

Complications of serositis

Serious complications of serositis can include:

• Pericardial effusion. Pericarditis can cause fluid to build up around your heart. The fluid can compress your heart, leading to other risks like cardiac tamponade and cardiogenic shock.
• Pleural effusion. Pleurisy can cause fluid to build up around your lungs, making it hard to breathe normally. Over time, it can lead to scarring in your lungs (pulmonary fibrosis).
• Sepsis. An infection in your abdominal cavity or chest cavity that causes serositis can easily spread to your bloodstream (septicemia). If it becomes systemic, it can lead to sepsis.

Healthcare providers treat serositis seriously based on these risks. But serositis and its causes are usually treatable. And if you get treatment in time, the prognosis (outlook) is usually optimistic. Cancer prognosis always depends on the type, the stage and other unpredictable factors. Autoimmune diseases aren’t curable, but treatment can reduce the inflammation they cause, and sometimes, they go into remission.

How is serositis diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will review your symptoms and health history. Then, they’ll physically examine you. They’ll follow up with medical tests, like imaging tests and blood tests. They’ll need to identify the type of serositis you have, along with the underlying cause. If they observe swelling in your abdomen or chest, they might draw a sample of the fluid for testing. This is called paracentesis or thoracentesis.

Serositis treatment

Healthcare providers can treat serositis symptoms with anti-inflammatory drugs like NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or corticosteroids. These can help relieve inflammation and pain. If fluid buildup causes discomfort or complications, your provider may be able to draw it out. But symptom relief may not be their first priority. Your provider will want to address what’s causing your serositis. Often, this will be more urgent.

This might mean:

• Antibiotics or antivirals for an infection
• Surgery or other cancer treatments, depending on the type and stage
• Immunosuppressants or DMARDs to treat autoimmune diseases

What should I expect with serositis?

Serositis can be a serious turn of events. All the conditions that cause it are potentially serious. Serositis either brings these conditions to light or signals that they’ve reached a new level. Any infection that affects a serous membrane is urgent because it can quickly spread through your body and become systemic. Any rheumatic disease that’s severe enough to trigger polyserositis could threaten your overall health.