Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease caused by ongoing exposure to asbestos, and the inhalation of asbestos fibres. The asbestos fibres lodge in the lung tissue, causing scarring (fibrosis) that affects the lower lobes of both lungs.
Unlike mesothelioma, asbestosis is not a form of cancer, however like mesothelioma, it is incurable. Although asbestosis is not a type of cancer, it has symptoms similar to mesothelioma. Complications of asbestosis include lung cancer, mesothelioma, and pulmonary heart disease.
Asbestosis is a slowly progressive condition which can worsen over time causing increasing breathlessness. Common symptoms of asbestosis are:
People who suffer from asbestosis may be more susceptible to chest infections and pneumonia.
Doctors consider a number of factors when diagnosing asbestosis. These include level of exposure to asbestos in conjunction with their radiology, lung function tests and clinical symptoms (for example crackles which can be heard in the lungs during inhalation).
If you have been exposed to asbestos and suffering from symptoms commonly associated with asbestosis, your general practitioner will provide a referral for a high resolution CT scan (HRCT). In rare circumstances, doctors may diagnose asbestosis by way of a lung biopsy where they take a sample of the lung, and look microscopically for asbestos fibres.
Many occupations used asbestos in their day to day operation, including miners, carpenters, laggers, asbestos sprayers, mechanics, electricians, painters and well as refinery, shipyard and mill workers.
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