Also ref2242ed to as epidemic pleurodynia or epidemic myalgia is a disease caused by the Coxsackie B virus or other viruses.
The major characteristic of this disease is attacks of severe pain in the lower chest, often on one side.
Symptoms may include fever and headache, but the distinguishing
Any rib cage movement causes a sharp increase of pain, making it difficult to breathe.
An attack is a frightening experience, and unpredictable.
Enteroviruses in the Coxsackie B virus group likely to be the cause of pleurodynia, and is supported by subsequent studies of IgM antibody responses measured in serum from people with the illness.
Other viruses in the enterovirus family, including echovirus and Coxsackie A virus, are infrequently associated with pleurodynia.
The virus is shed in large amounts in the feces of infected persons.
The illness lasts about a week and is rarely fatal.
Treatment includes the administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents or the application of heat to the affected muscles.
Relapses during the weeks following the initial episode are a characteristic feature of this disease.
The Coxsackie B virus is spread by contact and epidemics usually occur during warm weather in temperate regions and at any time in the tropics.