Asbestos Symptoms

Asbestosis is what doctors call an occupational disease of the lungs, is caused by the inhalation of harmful particles in the workplace. The term pneumoconiosis is the set of diseases caused by chronic inhalation of mineral dust. The type of lung disease or pneumoconiosis that is installed depends on the size and type of inhaled particles. Fortunately, the body can get rid of most of the inhaled particles. Differentiated cells in the lungs and make them engulf them harmless. But some particles, like asbestos, cause irreversible damage.

Asbestos is a term for a group of minerals used in many industries. They are categorized according to their form. Asbestos fibers long, straight, reminiscent of a rod appear to represent a greater health hazard than the long fibers and curved. When asbestos fibers are inhaled and reach the lungs, they form scars (leading to pulmonary fibrosis) that may reduce lung function (restrictive lung disease). The act of inhaling asbestos can also cause thickening of the two membranes that envelop the lungs (the pleura).

The more a person is exposed to asbestos fibers, the greater the risk of asbestosis or other asbestos-related disease is high. Persons exercising the profession of concierge, welder, electrician, plumber, construction worker, carpenter, Boiler, installer of insulation, shipbuilder, miner or a railroad, or those who work in textile manufacturing are likely to be exposed to asbestos. Construction, demolition or renovation work that requires cutting, filing, sanding or cutting into small pieces of material containing asbestos, all have high risk of exposure.
Symptoms and Complications

If a person has symptoms of asbestosis, it could mean that many scars have formed in his lungs. The lungs lose their elasticity and their ability to properly complete oxygen. Early symptoms are characterized by difficulty breathing or shortness of breath during physical exercise important.

Breathing becomes more difficult as asbestosis as evolving. Cough, sputum and wheezing are less common and are usually associated with smoking. Some patients sometimes what is called a clubbing (thickening and enlargement of the fingertips) or blue under the fingernails and around the mouth. Even a brief exposure to asbestos in the past greatly increases the risk of lung cancer or malignant mesothelioma, a rare and fatal cancer of the lining of organs like the lungs, abdomen and chest.

Some research has also shown that exposure to asbestos increases the risk of cancers of the esophagus, stomach, intestines and rectum. This may be related to the swallowing of asbestos fibers inhaled into the lungs and then expelled. For the smoker exposed to asbestos for many years, the probability of lung cancer is significantly higher, especially if smoking more than a pack of cigarettes a day. There appears to be a dose-effect relationship between exposure to asbestos, smoking and lung cancer: over exposure to asbestos and tobacco, the greater the risk of cancer is high .