The National Institutes of Health characterizes asbestosis as a respiratory disease. Also referred to as pulmonary fibrosis, it's marked by the development of scar tissue within the lungs from the inhalation of asbestos fibers, a carcinogenic substance also linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma. The scarring eventually causes a thickening of the pleura, which affects the expansion and contraction of the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe.
Symptoms
While a shortness of breath is one of the more common symptoms, asbestosis can also cause you to suffer from chest pain, coughing and a decrease in your capacity for physical activities, notes the Mayo Clinic. In some cases, you may even begin to develop a clubbing of the fingers, explain experts at the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center. Clubbing, a sign of more advanced stages of the disease, is an abnormal thickening of the fingers accompanied by a curvature of the fingernails.
Time Frame
Symptoms do not develop immediately after asbestos exposure. The University of Maryland Medical Center estimates that it can take you 20 or more years after your initial exposure to develop symptoms.
Development
Normally, the body is able to expel or destroy particles that find their way into the lungs. The Mayo Clinic explains that the length and structure of asbestos fibers make it difficult for the body to rid the lungs of asbestos. But your immune system still tries, and in the process, it damages the lungs, which triggers irritation, inflammation and eventually scarring.
Treatment
There is no way to cure asbestosis, warns the National Institutes of Health. However, the Mayo Clinic asserts that ceasing exposure to the substance can actually stop the disease from worsening. Asbestosis rarely progresses after your lungs are no longer exposed to the carcinogen. To lessen symptoms of the condition and decrease the risks of complications, there are a few things you can do. Quitting smoking, getting proper vaccinations and taking prescribed medications can all improve your health and protect you from lung cancer, flu, pneumonia and pulmonary hypertension.
Expert Insight
According to the American Cancer Society, one in seven people with asbestosis develop lung cancer. The length and severity of the exposure often increases your risk. Spending years working with and subsequently inhaling asbestos greatly increase your risk of not only developing asbestosis, but also lung cancer.
