Asbestosis - Answer-is a chronic inflammatory and scarring disease affecting the tissue of the lungs. People with the condition may experience severe shortness of breath and are at an increased risk for certain cancers, including lung cancer and, less commonly, mesothelioma.[1] Asbestosis specifica...
Asbestosis Exam Questions and
Answers
Asbestosis - Answer-is a chronic inflammatory and scarring disease affecting the tissue
of the lungs. People with the condition may experience severe shortness of breath and
are at an increased risk for certain cancers, including lung cancer and, less commonly,
mesothelioma.[1] Asbestosis specifically refers to fibrosis within the lung tissue from
asbestos, and not scarring around the outside of the lungs.
It is caused by the breathing in and retention of asbestos fibers. It usually occurs after
high intensity and/or long-term exposure to asbestos (particularly in those individuals
working on the production or end-use of products containing asbestos) and is therefore
regarded as an occupational lung disease. People with extensive occupational
exposure to the mining, manufacturing, handling, or removal of asbestos are at risk of
developing asbestosis.[2]
Signs and symptoms - Answer-The signs and symptoms of asbestosis typically manifest
after a significant amount of time has passed following asbestos exposure, often several
decades under current conditions in the US.[3] The primary symptom of asbestosis is
generally the slow onset of shortness of breath, especially with physical activity.[4]
Clinically advanced cases of asbestosis may lead to respiratory failure. When a
physician listens with a stethoscope to the lungs of a person with asbestosis, they may
hear inspiratory rales.
The characteristic pulmonary function finding in asbestosis is a restrictive ventilatory
defect.[5] This manifests as a reduction in lung volumes, particularly the vital capacity
(VC) and total lung capacity (TLC). The TLC may be reduced through alveolar wall
thickening; however, this is not always the case.[6] Large airway function, as reflected
by FEV1/FVC, is generally well preserved.[3] In severe cases, the drastic reduction in
lung function due to the stiffening of the lungs and reduced TLC may induce right-sided
heart failure (cor pulmonale).[7][8] In addition to a restrictive defect, asbestosis may
produce reduction in diffusion capacity and a low amount of oxygen in the blood of the
arteries.
Pathogenesis - Answer-Asbestosis is the scarring of lung tissue (beginning around
terminal bronchioles and alveolar ducts and extending into the alveolar walls) resulting
from the inhalation of asbestos fibers. There are two types of fibers: amphibole (thin and
straight) and serpentine (curved). All forms of asbestos fibers are responsible for human
disease as they are able to penetrate deeply into the lungs. When such fibers reach the
alveoli (air sacs) in the lung, where oxygen is transferred into the blood, the foreign
bodies (asbestos fibers) cause the activation of the lungs' local immune system and
provoke an inflammatory reaction dominated by lung macrophages that respond to
chemotactic factors activated by the fibers.[10] This inflammatory reaction can be
described as chronic rather than acute, with a slow ongoing progression of the immune
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