Asbestosis is a lung disease that occurs from breathing in asbestos fibers.
Alternative Names
Pulmonary fibrosis - from asbestos exposure; Interstitial pneumonitis - from asbestos exposure
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Breathing in asbestos fibers can cause scar tissue (fibrosis) to form inside the lung. Scarred lung tissue does not expand and contract normally.
How severe the disease is depends on how long the person was exposed to asbestos and the amount he or she breathed in. Often, people do not notice symptoms for 20 years or more after the asbestos exposure.
Asbestos fibers were commonly used in construction before 1975. Asbestos exposure occurred in asbestos mining and milling, construction, fireproofing, and other industries. Families of asbestos workers can also be exposed from particles brought home on the worker's clothing.
There is no cure. Stopping exposure to asbestos is essential. To ease symptoms, drainage, chest percussion, and vibration can help remove fluids from the lungs.
The doctor may prescribe aerosol medications to thin lung fluids. People with this condition may need to receive oxygen by mask or by a plastic piece that fits into the nostrils. Certain patients may need a lung transplant.
Support Groups
You can ease the stress of this illness by joining a support group whose members share common experiences and problems. See lung disease - support group.
Expectations (prognosis)
The outcome depends on the amount of asbestos you were exposed to, and for how long. This condition tends to get worse more slowly than idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis if you stop being exposed to asbestos.
Patients who develop malignant mesothelioma tend t ohave a poor outcome. About 75% of those who are affected die within 1 year.
Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you suspect that you've been exposed to asbestos or if you have unexplained symptoms.
Prevention
In people who have been exposed to asbestos for more than 10 years, screening with a chest x-ray every 3 to 5 years may detect asbestos-related diseases early. Stopping cigarette smoking can dramatically reduce the risk of asbestos-related lung cancer.
References
Cowie RL, Murray J, Becklake MR. Pneumoconioses. In: Mason RJ, Murray JF, Broaddus VC, Martin TR, et al, eds. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa : Saunders Elsevier; 2010: chap 65.
Review Date:
6/10/2011
Reviewed By:
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Ccare, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
