Asbestos exposure - Symptoms, causes and treatments

Asbestos exposure – Symptoms, causes and treatments

Chest discomfort, a cough, and shortness of breath are some of the most typical symptoms of asbestos exposure. Pleural plaques are an indication that a person has experienced enough exposure to put them at risk for developing additional illnesses. They might appear before lung cancer or mesothelioma.

What symptoms of asbestos exposure exist?

The early warning indications of asbestos exposure include illnesses that are connected to it. Before a disease manifests, a person cannot recognize any symptoms of asbestos exposure.

Lungs are typically where asbestos exposure symptoms first appear. This is due to the fact that asbestos mostly causes lung diseases. Diseases can also brought on by asbestos in different bodily systems. These disorders primarily manifest as symptoms in the throat, stomach, and colon.

A regular X-ray or CT scan may occasionally reveal pleural plaques. These indicate that exposure levels were high enough to result in additional asbestos-related diseases. Pleural plaques seldom generate symptoms, thus they aren’t a warning that anybody may look out for. Between 10 and 30 years after exposure, plaques start to form.

How can asbestosis be identified?

A thorough medical history, exposure history, and a chest X-ray or CT scan that reveals lung tissue scarring are often used to diagnose asbestosis. Your doctor can assess the severity of your asbestosis and the health of your lungs using this information together with breathing tests.

If you have a history of asbestos exposure and you notice that your shortness of breath is getting worse, you should talk to your primary care physician about the likelihood of asbestosis. He or she will probably suggest that you see a pulmonologist, a physician who specializes in lung issues. Your doctor will inquire about your breathing during the appointment, both while you’re at rest and when you’re exercising. 

To ascertain the extent of your asbestos exposure, your doctor will also inquire in-depth about your employment history. Therefore, it would be wise to get the following information ready in advance:

  1. Your symptoms and when they first appeared
  2. the remedies used in the past to treat the symptoms and how they worked
  3. Your complete career’s worth of work, the amount of time you spent at each employment, and the type of work you did.
  4. The goods you came into touch with at work and whether you wore safety gear
  5. cigarette history
  6. X-rays or CT scans from the chest as well as any previous medical records

Causes

Inhaling asbestos fibers can result in the formation of lung fibrosis, or scar tissue. Lung tissue with scars does not contract and expand properly.

The length of exposure to asbestos, the quantity of fibers inhaled, and the kind of fibers inhaled all affect how serious the illness will be. The symptoms frequently don’t appear for 20 years or longer after asbestos exposure.

Before 1975, asbestos fibers were frequently used in building. Construction, fireproofing, asbestos mining and milling, and other sectors all exposed workers to asbestos. Particles carried home on the worker’s clothing can expose the worker’s family to asbestos.

Other ailments brought on by asbestos include:

  1. (Calcification) Pleural Plaques
  2. Malignant mesothelioma, a lung lining cancer that can manifest 20 to 40 years after exposure to asbestos,
  3. A collection called a pleural effusion, which forms around the lung a few years after asbestos exposure, is benign.

Treatment

The effects of asbestos on the alveoli cannot be reversed with medication. Treatment targets symptom relief, reducing the disease’s course, and avoiding consequences.

Depending on the severity of your disease, you may require routine follow-up treatment at regular intervals, including lung function tests and chest X-rays or CT scans. Respiratory infections should be treated as soon as possible to avoid consequences.

Therapy

The capacity of a patient to breathe comfortably is the main focus of treatment. Asbestosis is a lung illness that develops over time and causes laborious, painful breathing. It is brought on by inhaling asbestos particles. The process of breathing naturally is hampered by lung tissues that have scarred from implanted fibers.

To aid patients with asbestosis, doctors frequently recommend inhalers and drugs including bronchodilators, aspirin, and antibiotics. A humidifier, oxygen therapy, chest percussion, or postural drainage may also be suggested for certain individuals to reduce chest congestion, tightness, and breathing difficulties. An operation to remove scar tissue may be advised by a doctor if a patient’s symptoms are so severe that no amount of medicine is helping.

Medications

Several drugs may be prescribed by doctors to treat asbestosis-related breathing problems and discomfort. Cough syrups and over-the-counter cough drops are typical treatments. Those can be replaced with prescription-strength products if necessary.

Typical drugs used to treat asbestosis include:

Drugs that thin secretions

Several drugs have the ability to thin secretions and widen airways. One of these is gauifenesin, which facilitates coughing. The best intervention to do this is still to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

Additional oxygen

Oxygen may be provided to assist with breathing and to help get more air into the lungs. Through a plastic tube with two prongs that slide into your nostrils, oxygen is delivered from a tank into your body.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics may be used after asbestosis surgery to treat or lessen the chance of infection.

Aspirin and Tylenol are two painkillers that can help with asbestosis-related pain and inflammation. If these do not relieve chest discomfort and other symptoms, a doctor may recommend stronger painkillers.

Immunosuppressants and corticosteroids, which are generally recommended to treat lung disorders, are mainly useless in treating the symptoms of asbestosis. The scarring caused by asbestosis is more important than the inflammation it causes. Inflammation is decreased by immunosuppressants and corticosteroids.

Surgery 

For asbestosis, surgery may be advised in specific situations. Occasionally, a doctor might advise a lung transplant.

The purpose of surgery for asbestosis is to reduce symptoms and ease discomfort. A thoracentesis is a probable surgical operation that removes extra fluid from the lungs to relieve pressure and make breathing easier. (Excess fluid in the lungs, known as a pleural effusion, is a typical sign of asbestosis.)

Asbestos Exposure: Causes, Symptoms – Cleveland Clinic

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