Lung Abscess: Literature Review of Risk Factors, Classification, Clinical Manifestations, Diagnosis, and Prevention
DOI:
10.29303/jbt.v25i4.10343Published:
2025-10-21Downloads
Abstract
A lung abscess is the formation of a thick-walled cavity filled with purulent material due to suppuration and necrosis of the lung parenchyma. Cases of lung abscess are relatively rare today and were most common in the pre-prebiotic era due to the lack of treatment for bacterial infections. This literature review aims to obtain information related to lung abscess its etiology, diagnostics, and treatment options. The article was compiled using a literature search through databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar using the keyword "lung abscess." The findings indicate that lung abscess is a condition characterized by the formation of a pus-filled cavity resulting from suppuration and necrosis of lung tissue. This disease is commonly caused by anaerobic bacterial infection, although aerobic bacteria may also play a role. Despite its relatively low incidence today, lung abscess remains an important clinical problem as it can arise as a complication of pneumonia or tuberculosis. Diagnosis is established through medical history, physical examination, and supporting investigations such as radiology and sputum culture. Management includes long-term antibiotic therapy, drainage, and surgical intervention for refractory cases. Preventive efforts involve maintaining oral hygiene, reducing alcohol consumption, and avoiding aspiration risk factors. Therefore, comprehensive understanding of the definition, pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, and management of lung abscess is essential to support clinical practice in pulmonary medicine.
Keywords:
Diagnosis Lung abscess Lung abscess treatmentReferences
Adnyana, I. M. D. M., Sari, N. W., Arifin, Z., Prihatin, K., Fatmawati, B. R., Wahyudi, G., Ilham, Oktaviana, E., & Febrianti, T. (2023). Epidemologi Penyakit Tidak Menular (A. I. Asir (ed.)). CV. Media Sains Indonesia.
Al-Fawaris, M., Mustafa, N., Al-Masri, L., & Bardan, H. (2024). Lung Abscess: Causes and Therapeutic Approaches. Journal of Pharmacology and Drug Delivery, 1(2), 107.
Arifin, R. Y., Saksana, R. A., Permana, I. S., & Kusumaningtyas, A. F. (2025). Minimally Invasive Approach In The Treatment Of Lung Abscess: A Case Report. The International Journal of Medical Science and Health Research, 10(2), 12-20.
Audina, D. P., Agustin, H., & Reisa, T. (2024). Interventional Approach on Lung Abscess. Indonesian Journal of Respirology, 44(2), 170-178.
Bajaj, S. K., & Tombach, B. (2017). Respiratory infections in immunocompromised patients: lung findings using chest computed tomography. Radiology of infectious diseases, 4(1), 29-37.
Bakhtiar, B., Herdata, H. N., Liansyah, T. M., Zakaria, I., Sufriani, & Safana, G. (2023). Manifestasi Klinis, Pemeriksaan Penunjang, Diagnosis dan Tatalaksana Abses Paru pada Anak. Jurnal Prima Medika Sains, 5(1), 74–78. https://doi.org/10.34012/jpms.v5i1.3909
Battaglini, D., & De Rosa, S. (2024, December). Aspiration after Anesthesia: Chemical versus Bacterial, Differential Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention. In Seminars in respiratory and critical care medicine (Vol. 45, No. 06, pp. 659-668). Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc..
Cai, X. D., Yang, Y., Li, J., Liao, X., Qiu, S., Xu, J., ... & Ma, H. M. (2019). Logistic regression analysis of clinical and computed tomography features of pulmonary abscesses and risk factors for pulmonary abscess-related empyema. Clinics, 74, e700.
Candemir, S., & Antani, S. (2019). A review on lung boundary detection in chest X-rays. International journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery, 14(4), 563-576.
Damayanti, W. A. (2024). Seorang Laki-Laki Usia 20 Tahun dengan Abses Paru Sinistra Et Causa Tuberculosis. Proceeding Book Call for Papers Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, 550-558.
Efiyanti, C., Prawiro, A., Syahbunan, K. K. C., Rusmajati, J., Rukmi, K. W., Kemuning, A. R., & Desdiani, D. (2025). Abses Paru Pada Pasien Tuberkulosis Dengan Diabetes Melitus Yang Tidak Terkontrol. JUKEJ: Jurnal Kesehatan Jompa, 4(1), 243-255.
Eira, I. M., Carvalho, R., Carvalho, D. V., & Ângela, C. (2019). Lung abscess in an immunocompromised patient: clinical presentation and management challenges. BMJ case reports, 12(7), e230756. https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr- 2019-230756
Hidayatullah, M. I., & Made, A. (2022). Seorang Laki–Laki 44 Tahun dengan Empiema: Laporan Kasus. Proceeding Book Call for Papers Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, 793-803.
Kuhajda, I., Zarogoulidis, K., Tsirgogianni, K., Tsavlis, D., Kioumis, I., Kosmidis, C., Tsakiridis, K., Mpakas, A., Zarogoulidis, P., Zissimopoulos, A., Baloukas, D. and Kuhajda, D. (2015). Lung abscess-etiology, diagnostic and treatment options. Annals of translational medicine, [online] 3(13), p.183. doi:https://doi.org/10.3978/j.issn.2305-5839.2015.07.08.
Kumar, A., Malik, M., Ghazal, S., Mahat, R., Masood, T., Zia, A., & Rizvi, N. (2018). Clinical presentation, risk factors and etiology of lung abscess. Pakistan Journal of Medicine and Dentistry, 7(4), 5-5.
Kurniawan, A., Khairan, P., Librianty, N., Mahrani, M., Faisal, H., Mutmainah, I., ... & Prawirohardjo, P. (2020). Abses Paru pada COVID-19. Journal Of The Indonesian Medical Association, 70(8), 173-181.
Lawrensia, S. (2021). Lung Abscess: Diagnosis and Treatment. Cermin Dunia Kedokteran, 48(5), 286–288. https://doi.org/10.55175/cdk.v48i5.13
Liu, B., Fan, T., & Li, S. (2023). Lung Abscess. In Radiology of Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases-Volume 3: Heart and Chest (pp. 165-167). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
Milani, P., Basset, M., Russo, F., Foli, A., Palladini, G., & Merlini, G. (2017). The lung in amyloidosis. European Respiratory Review, 26(145).
Modi, A. R., & Kovacs, C. S. (2020). Hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia: Diagnosis, management, and prevention. Cleveland Clinic journal of medicine, 87(10), 633–639. https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.87a.19117
Motiani, V., Costa Filho, F. F., Furlan, A., Hickok, K., Campbell, S., & Kroth, P. (2025). Gender, Racial, and Regional Disparities in the Incidence and Mortality of Lung Abscesses. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 211(Abstracts), A5147-A5147.
Mustafa, M., Iftikhar, H., Muniandy, R., Hamid, S. A., Sien, M. M., & Ootha, N. (2015). Lung abscess: Diagnosis, treatment and mortality. Int J Pharm Sci Invent, 4(2), 37-41.
Sperling, S., Dahl, V. N., & Fløe, A. (2024). Lung abscess: an update on the current knowledge and call for future investigations. Current opinion in pulmonary medicine, 30(3), 229–234. https://doi.org/10.1097/MCP.0000000000001058
Subotic, D. (2018). Lung Abscess. In Tips and Tricks in Thoracic Surgery (pp. 125-144). London: Springer London.
Yousef, L., Yousef, A., & Al-Shamrani, A. (2022). Lung abscess case series and review of the literature. Children, 9(7), 1047.
Zhang, J. H., Yang, S. M., How, C. H., & Ciou, Y. F. (2018). Surgical management of lung abscess: from open drainage to pulmonary resection. Journal of Visualized Surgery, 4.
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Lale Nubya Nitzana, Mielosita Hasanah, Romy Healthy Mikailla, Yunan Prabu Jaya Anugrah, Janiya Abdila Ilmiah, Indana Eva Ajmala
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Jurnal Biologi Tropis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The copyright of the received article shall be assigned to the author as the owner of the paper. The intended copyright includes the right to publish the article in various forms (including reprints). The journal maintains the publishing rights to the published articles.
Authors are permitted to disseminate published articles by sharing the link/DOI of the article at the journal. Authors are allowed to use their articles for any legal purposes deemed necessary without written permission from the journal with an acknowledgment of initial publication to this journal.
