asbestosis

Also known as asbestos cancer, Asbestosis NOS (disorder), Asbestos intoxication, asbestos dust pneumoconiosis, asbestos pneumoconiosis, asbestos intoxination

Key facts

Medical condition.name: Asbestosis
Medical condition.image: Asbestosis - Fibrous pleural plaque (7468458430).jpg
Medical condition.caption: A plaque caused by asbestos exposure on the diaphragmatic pleura
Medical condition.field: Pulmonology
Medical condition.symptoms: Shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, chest pain
Medical condition.complications: Lung cancer, mesothelioma, pleural fibrosis, pulmonary heart disease
Medical condition.onset: c. 10–40 years after long-term exposure
Medical condition.causes: Asbestos
Medical condition.diagnosis: History of exposure, medical imaging
Medical condition.prevention: Eliminating exposure
Medical condition.treatment: Supportive care, stopping smoking, oxygen therapy, lung replacement
Medical condition.prognosis: Up to 40% continue to worsen
Medical condition.frequency: 157,000 (2015)
Medical condition.deaths: 3,600 (2015), 200,000 Annually (2024) (WHO)

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

5,286 papers

Asbestosis.Disease-a-month : DM · 2011
[Asbestosis and pleural plaques].Ugeskrift for laeger · 2018
Asbestosis.British medical journal · 1967
[Asbestosis].Revue des maladies respiratoires · 1999
[Asbestosis].Ergebnisse der inneren Medizin und Kinderheilkunde · 1974

via PubMed

~14 min read

Encyclopedic overview

11 sections

Contents

Signs and symptoms
Cause
Risk factors
Pathogenesis
Diagnosis
Treatment
Society and culture
Legal issues
Notable people
References
External links

Asbestosis is long-term inflammation and scarring of the lungs due to asbestos fibers. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, and chest tightness. Complications may include lung cancer, mesothelioma, and pulmonary heart disease.

Asbestosis is caused by breathing in asbestos fibers. It requires a relatively large exposure over a long period of time, which typically only occurs in those who directly work with asbestos. All types of asbestos fibers are associated with an increased risk. It is generally recommended that currently existing and undamaged asbestos be left undisturbed. Diagnosis is based upon a history of exposure together with medical imaging. Asbestosis is a type of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “asbestosis” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.