Asbestosis Health Video

Asbestosis is a chronic inflammatory medical condition affecting the parenchymal tissue of the lungs. It occurs after long-term, heavy exposure to asbestos. Sufferers have severe shortness of breath and are at an increased risk regarding several different types of lung cancer. Learn about the symptoms, possible causes, and treatment options for asbestosis in this video.

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If you are exposed, see a doctor right away
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About this Author

Dr. Susan McGladdery is a medical graduate from Oxford University in the UK and has a Master's Degree in Medical Sciences from Cambridge University. She has been a member of the Royal College of Physicians since 1991 and a member of the American Academy of Urgent Care since 2006. She trained as a Family Physician in the UK in Oxford and then in London. In a medical career that spans over 20 years, she has worked as a doctor in 5 countries on 3 continents and cared for patients from a multitude of different nationalities and backgrounds. Dr. McGladdery joined FirstMed Centers in mid 2002 and became Regional Medical Director in 2003.

Dr. SUSAN MCGLADERRY, BM, BCH, MRCP: Hello. My name is Dr. Susan McGladerry. I'm the medical director from the FirstMed Centers in Budapest, Hungary and I'm going to give you some information about asbestosis. This is a respiratory disease that's caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. Up until 1975, asbestos fibers were commonly used in construction. Today, exposure does still occur in some mining and manufacturing industry. The problem with the asbestos fibers is that they can cause scar tissue or fibrosis to form inside the lung and this scarred lung tissue does not function normally. The severity of the disease depends upon the duration of the exposure to asbestos, and also on the amount of fiber that's inhaled. The disease that's caused ranges from mild with relatively few symptoms or may become disabling or even fatal. There are several different conditions that are caused by asbestosis. Pleural plaques or calcification of the lining of the lung, a pleural effusion, meaning fluid on the lung, and most seriously, something called malignant mesothelioma which can develop 20 or even 40 years after asbestos exposure and this is a cancer of the lung. Workers today are much less likely to develop problems with asbestos because of government regulations that have improved the work practices and made it to much safer environment for workers. Cigarette smoking increases the risk of developing asbestosis. What are the symptoms? Things like gradually increasing breathlessness, fatigue, coughing, and pains in the chest. How do we diagnose it? There may be abnormal sounds or crackles heard when the doctor examines your chest. Useful tests include things like an x-ray or CT scan of the lung. What about treatment for asbestosis? Unfortunately, there's no cure available once the damage has been done. It's essential to stop further exposure and some patients will require supportive therapy, for example long-term oxygen treatment. Some patients may even require lung transplantation because of the severity of the symptoms that may have. What about the outlook? Malignant mesothelioma has a very poor prognosis and about 75% of people affected will die within a year of the diagnosis. So, what about prevention? It's very important to take care to avoid asbestos exposure. If you are exposed, early screening by chest x-ray is a very important way of monitoring any signs of disease, and of course it's also very important not to smoke.

Asbestosis Health Video

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