Asbestosis (Pleural Disease and Pulmonary Disease)
Probably the most common asbestos-related illness is asbestos-related
pleural disease. Sometimes called pleural asbestosis, pleural
plaques or pleural thickening, asbestos-related pleural disease
is a scarring of the lining of the lung caused by asbestos exposure.
Asbestos-related pleural disease has a long latency period (10
to 30 or more years from first exposure) and can be detected
on a chest x-ray or CT-scan. Like pulmonary asbestosis, asbestos-related
pleural disease is untreatable and incurable. It may, on occasion,
progress to a more severe condition.
There are many different degrees of asbestos-related pleural
disease. Discrete, small areas of pleural scarring are called
pleural plaques. While they usually begin as very small areas
of scarring, they can grow over time and become calcified and
hard. Pleural plaques alone are usually not symptomatic, but
they can be.
Diffuse pleural thickening is a scarring of a large area of
the lining of the lung caused by asbestos. While there can also
be no symptoms suffered by a person with diffuse pleural thickening,
it is more likely that someone with this injury will experience
shortness of breath. Over time, the amount of the lining of the
lung that becomes scarred can grow, constricting the lungs and
making it more difficult to take a breath.
While much more rare than pleural plaques or pleural thickening,
atelectasis can also be caused by exposure to asbestos. Atelectasis
is pleural scarring that causes a portion of the lung to fold
onto itself, usually causing pain and discomfort with each breath.
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