Guide To Treating And Preventing Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a chronic disease where an individual's lungs become damaged and scarred, usually as a result of asbestos exposure. This disease often occurs in individuals who work in a range of occupations involving the handling of asbestos-containing materials in industrial facilities, construction sites, and ships. Typically, it takes several years of regular exposure to asbestos to result in the development of asbestosis or other asbestos-related illness. The repeated inflammation caused by inhalation of asbestos causes scar tissue to develop throughout the microscopic air sacs in the lungs. The air sacs to lose their ability to expand and fill up when the affected individual inhales fresh air as a result of scarring. Common symptoms of asbestosis include persistent dry cough, fatigue, crackling noises when breathing, breathlessness, chest pain, weight loss, chest tightness, and appetite loss. Asbestosis is an irreversible but preventable chronic disease. Aside from lung transplantation, asbestosis treatment options are palliative in nature.