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Asbestosis

Asbestosis is, as its name suggests, caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers. It is not a cancerous lung disease.

The underlying disease process of asbestosis is not yet fully understood, but it appears that asbestos fibers in the lungs cause irritation and inflammation. The body attempts to neutralize these foreign fibers in various complex ways, and some or all of these processes lead to further inflammation and cell damage. Eventually a fibrosis or scar tissue develops in the interstitial spaces around the small airways and alveoli. This thickening and scarring prevents oxygen and carbon dioxide from traveling between the alveoli and the blood cells, so breathing becomes much less efficient.

Asbestosis often exists without any symptoms, and is then detected only by x-ray findings. However, the symptoms of asbestosis typically include shortness of breath and coughing. As the disease progresses, the symptoms can worsen. It can be a progressive disease, meaning that it continues to progress even after exposure to asbestos has stopped. In unusual cases it can be fatal.

The scarring and thickening can be seen on x-rays and CT scans. Also, if it reduces the functioning of the lungs, asbestosis can be detected by a breathing or pulmonary function test (PFT.)

Diagnosis can be made only when there is a history of asbestos exposure and positive results from a clinical exam, chest x-rays, CT scans, and/or a pulmonary function test (PFT.) It can also be conclusively identified through a biopsy.

Asbestosis affects both lungs (it is bilateral) and, although it is mainly in the lower fields of the lungs, it is usually widespread (diffuse.)

Serious asbestosis is usually caused by heavy exposure to asbestos, such as sustained exposure over a period of years (e.g. a longtime worker at an asbestos textile plant) and/or intense exposure during a shorter period (e.g. a worker in the boiler and engine rooms of ships under construction in the Second World War.)

This does not mean that everyone who was heavily exposed to asbestos gets asbestosis, only that everyone who gets asbestosis was exposed to large quantities of asbestos fibers.

The specific type of asbestos fiber to which the worker was exposed does not seem to be significant in the development of asbestosis.

At the moment there is no cure or effective treatment for asbestosis. People with asbestosis are also at high risk of developing lung cancer or mesothelioma.

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