Asbestosis, what is it exactly?

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Asbestosis is a chronic inflammatory medical condition affecting the parenchymal tissue of the lungs. Asbestosis is the scarring of lung tissue (around terminal bronchioles and alveolar ducts) resulting from the inhalation of asbestos fibers. Asbestosis is a chronic progressive disease that requires high exposures to asbestos over prolonged periods of time and is characterised pathologically by interstitial fibrosis and asbestos bodies. The risk of asbestosis is minimal for those who do not work with asbestos; the disease is rarely caused by neighborhood or family exposure. The risk of lung cancer increases with heavy asbestos exposure, and asbestosis is an indicator of high exposure; however, a significant number of lung cancers develop in the absence of radiologic asbestosis. The diagnosis of asbestosis is often easily established by well- characterized criteria.

Asbestosis:

Asbestosis can also occur among individuals who live in communities near an asbestos mine or in the vicinity of a factory that manufactures asbestos or asbestos-containing products. Asbestosis may also be present in people suffering from asbestos-caused cancers such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.

If you have a history of exposure to asbestos and you're experiencing increasing shortness of breath, talk to your doctor about the possibility of asbestosis. If it is asbestosis, your doctor may be able to prescribe treatment to relieve your symptoms. This may help detect asbestosis in its early stages, even before it shows up on the chest X-ray. The severity of asbestosis is generally related to the amount and duration of exposure to asbestos.

Pleural Asbestosis:

Pleural changes may be the first signs of asbestos exposure and may include pleural thickening, the formation of calcium deposits in the pleura (plaques), and an abnormal accumulation of fluid between the membranes (pleural effusion). Pleural plaques are considered diagnostic of asbestos exposure but it is unclear that there is a relationship between cumulative dust exposure and the extent of pleural disease. Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include shortness of breath and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleura. Asbestosis may coexist with other asbestos-related diseases, including calcified and noncalcified pleural plaques, pleural thickening, benign exudative pleural effusion, rounded atelectasis, and malignant mesothelioma of the pleura.

The earliest lesions observed on HRCT indicating fibrosis are believed to be subpleural intralobular rounded or branching opacities, which correspond to peribronchiolar fibrosis, the earliest microscopic finding. Persons with significant exposure to asbestos are at risk for developing various types of pleural (lining of the lungs) abnormalities.

Risks of Asbestosis:

Risk of disease is generally related to duration and intensity of exposure and type, length, and thickness of inhaled fibers. If you live, work or study in a building where existing asbestos has been contained and sealed, you're not at risk of asbestosis and only at a remote risk of malignant mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the membranes lining the chest and abdominal cavities. Pleural effusion itself is benign and doesn't increase your risk of asbestosis or malignant mesothelioma. Smokers or heavy drinkers have the greatest risk of developing this disease. The leading risk factor for COPD is smoking, which can lead to the two most common forms of this disease, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. People with asbestosis who smoke, particularly those who smoke more than one pack of cigarettes each day, are at increased risk for developing lung cancer and should be strongly advised to quit smoking.