Asbestosis: respiratory distress due to asbestos
Asbestosis, the name says it all, is a disease caused by inhaling asbestos. The lungs become less elastic so the patient may have difficulty breathing, the patient also has a higher chance of lung cancer. Asbestos term is a generic term for a number of naturally occurring minerals, which are made up of microscopic fibers.
Asbestosis is a lung disease that, as the name says it all, is caused by exposure to asbestos. The disease is classified under the title of pneumoconiosis, also known as “dust lung.” Affection is discovered around 1930. It is a rare affection.
When large amounts of asbestos are inhaled, the body reacts with an inflammatory response, thereby producing connective tissue in the lungs. Through this connective tissue, the lungs become less elastic and therefore less air can be inhaled.
Asbestosis can develop in different ways, namely prolonged exposure to small amounts of asbestos, but also from very short exposure to large amounts of asbestos. Asbestosis is a recognized occupational disease, but not for example, construction work has been processed to contract it, considering asbestos in previous years in many different places.
The time between exposure to asbestos and the onset of symptoms is usually 10-20 years after exposure, but this time depends on the duration of exposure and the concentration of asbestos.
Symptoms
Anyone who suspects that they have been in contact with asbestos cannot do anything until they receive complaints. That is the stark truth behind the matter with the fibers entering the body and its destructive and sometimes deadly work does. Testing for the substance is not possible and if the asbestos has invaded once, there is nothing to do about it.
These are the symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing
- A dry, sore cough sometimes accompanied by stabbing at chess.
- Difficulty breathing (this usually occurs only when the patient has been exposed to asbestos for at least 10 years)
- Heart failure (in an advanced stage of asbestosis)
What diseases can be caused by inhaling asbestos dust? People who breathe in asbestos dust can get illnesses such as:
- Asbestosis (also called dust lung)
- Asbestos pleurisy
- Peritoneal cancer
- Lung cancer
- Mesothelioma (asbestos lung cancer)
- Pleural thickening
Diagnosis and therapy
Diagnosis can be made through a thorough investigation of the patient’s work history, living conditions, and medical history. This is followed by an X-ray of the lungs, a test to determine how well the lungs are working, and, if necessary, a lung lavage or lung biopsy.
Asbestosis is a progressive disease that does not cure. There is no treatment for asbestosis patients, the only thing that can be done is to treat the symptoms. Asbestosis often causes respiratory symptoms and, in worst cases, death because the heart becomes overloaded. Symptoms can be controlled by giving oxygen, nebulizers, and medications to prevent heart failure. In some cases there is a possible lung transplant.
Asbestosis patients are at increased risk of lung cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to take regular x-rays of the lungs, people with asbestosis are also advised to stop smoking. They are also eligible for a flu and pneumonia vaccine.
