Asbestos lung disease is a group of diseases related to exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that has been mined, processed and used for over 6000 years. The two most common types of asbestos lung disease are asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma. Both of these diseases are related to inhaling asbestos and the inflammation caused by the lodging of asbestos fibers in the lungs.
Asbestosis is a disease where exposure to asbestos causes scarring in the lungs. Asbestos fibers are tiny, yet durable. When someone breathes them in, the lungs natural filtration process is unable to eliminate the fibers from the air, allowing asbestos to enter the very sterile cavities of the lungs. When these fibers become embedded in the lung lining, inflammation occurs. This inflammation eventually leads to scarring of the lung lining.
The time frame between when asbestos enters the lungs and when scarring begins can be as many as ten years. Eventually, if enough scarring occurs in the lungs, fibrosis develops in the lung lining. Fibrosis is defined as the development of excess fibrous connective tissue in an organ. This connective tissue destroys the areas of the lungs that it invades. Thus, over time, large areas of the lungs are unable to function due to the fibrosis. The total time line between exposure to asbestos and the development of large areas of fibrosis can be as long as 30 or 40 years.
Asbestosis is normally detected with an x-ray by showing the large fibrous growths in the lungs. The initial symptom is difficulty breathing. There is no cure for asbestosis and the fibrous tissue will eventually spread completely throughout the lungs and make breathing impossible. Congestive heart failure is a common cause of death related to asbestosis. The heart becomes overworked in its attempt to circulate enough blood through the lungs to carry sufficient oxygen to the rest of the body.
Mesothelioma is also an asbestos lung disease. Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that results from asbestos becoming lodged in the lung lining. However, unlike asbestosis, mesothelioma occurs in the serous lining of the lung, which is the lining surrounding the outside of the lungs. Also unlike asbestosis, mesothelioma is malignant, while asbestosis is benign. Asbestosis does not spread to other organs. When cancer tumors grow and then spread to other organs, this is called metastasis.
Mesothelioma affects different organs in the body, not simply the lungs. When mesothelioma appears in the lungs, it is called pleural mesothelioma. When this disease appears in the heart lining it is called pericardial mesothelioma and when it appears in the abdomen it is called peritoneal mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure is thought to be the primary cause for these other types of malignant mesothelioma.
Similar to asbestosis, the time frame between asbestos exposure and the onset of pleural mesothelioma is very long, about 30 to 40 years. Pleural mesothelioma is also detected by x-rays, but the diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma has to be confirmed through a biopsy. The treatment for pleural mesothelioma is the same as for other cancers, but this disease is very aggressive and most treatments cannot slow its progression. The life expectancy of those diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma is very short, less than one year.
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