Asbestosis

Key Features

• A nodular interstitial fibrosis occurring in workers who are exposed to asbestos fibers long-term (typically 10–20 years)

• Cigarette smoking increases the prevalence of pleural and parenchymal changes and markedly increases the incidence of lung carcinoma

• Cigarette smoking may also interfere with the clearance of short asbestos fibers from the lung

Clinical Findings

• Inexorably progressive dyspnea, inspiratory crackles

• Clubbing and cyanosis present in some patients

• Lower lung zones involved more than upper lung zones

• Pulmonary function tests typically show a restrictive defect and reduced diffusing capacity

Diagnosis

• Radiographic features

  • Linear streaking at the lung bases

  • Opacities of various shapes and sizes

  • Honeycomb changes in advanced cases

  • Presence of pleural calcifications

• High-resolution CT scanning is the best imaging method for asbestosis because of its ability to detect parenchymal fibrosis and define the presence of coexisting pleural plaques

Treatment

• No specific treatment