Fibrotic Lung Disease

Fibrotic lung disease is a respiratory disease that is acquired by prolonged exposure to visible asbestos dust fibers. With strict U.S. government regulation of asbestos use, there are fewer diagnosed cases of fibrotic lung disease. If you, or someone you know, have been exposed to asbestos, seek diagnosis from your health care provider to begin treatments.

Facts

• Fibrotic lung disease is also known as asbestosis, interstitial pulmonary fibrosis and pneumoconiosis. Until the 1970s, asbestos was widely used in the U.S. as an insulation, to strengthen cement and for fireproofing drywall. Asbestos is any group of minerals that can be fibrous, states New World Encyclopedia. Since the 1970s, asbestos is only used in a few new products, such as gaskets used in brakes, states the National Institutes of Health.

Causes

• Asbestos fibers are very tiny, asserts NIH, and they can get stuck deep within your lungs. Inhaling asbestos fibers causes scarred lung tissue, or fibrosis, to form inside the lung, states Medline Plus. Scarred lung tissue does not work properly because it cannot expand or contract normally. Severity of the disease depends on how long you were exposed to asbestos and how much was inhaled.

High Risk Factors

• There are several factors that may give you a high risk for fibrotic lung disease, including exposure for several months to visible asbestos dust fibers. If you made, installed or removed products containing asbestos or were near people who did these jobs, you are considered high risk. If you are a family member of someone who worked with asbestos, you may have breathed in asbestos fibers that he brought in on his clothing. And, if you lived in areas with large amounts of asbestos in the soil, and your area had disturbed deposits of asbestos that were released into the air, you are at risk, states NIH.

Symptoms

• Symptoms include chest pain, cough, shortness of breath on exhale that gets worse over time, tightness in your chest, nail abnormalities, and clubbing of fingers, and do not occur or are not usually noticeable until 20 years or more after exposure to asbestos, notes Medline Plus. Pleural effusion, or inflammation of the membrane that surrounds your lungs, may cause pain on one side of your chest. This condition may occur earlier than other signs of fibrotic lung disease.

Considerations

• U.S. citizens are less likely to acquire asbestos-related diseases because asbestos is no longer widely used. Cigarette smoking increases your risk of developing fibrotic lung disease, states Medline Plus. Being around products that are made with enclosed asbestos is not a danger. While treatments cannot cure fibrotic lung disease, treatment may relieve symptoms, slow the disease's progress and prevent complications, states NIH. Lifestyle changes can be made that may prevent more serious disease or complications.