Other Asbestos-Related Lung Diseases

While mesothelioma and lung cancer are the most known diseases which can arise from asbestos exposure, they are unfortunately nowhere near the only health problems it may cause. In addition to a series of other cancers, the inhalation of asbestos fibers can also result in several benign diseases, which are actually more common among people with a history of exposure than mesothelioma and lung cancer. Although the risk of becoming ill following asbestos exposure cannot be precisely assessed, as there are numerous factors which may influence it at play, medical studies suggest that benign pleural disease usually requires less asbestos exposure to occur and also has a shorter latency period.

It is worthy of note that the non-malignant diseases which are to be discussed hereinafter often precede the onset of mesothelioma and lung cancer, also being able to occur as underlying conditions. Unlike cancer, which may take up to five decades to develop, they generally ensue within several years from the first asbestos exposure. Even though benign lung diseases stemming from asbestos exposure entail a significantly less aggressive progress than mesothelioma and are thereby easier to keep under control with adequate treatment, they can still be life-threatening. Asbestosis, one of the most prevalent non-malignant illnesses among people with a history of asbestos exposure, was responsible for the death of 20,317 Americans between 1999 and 2013.

This disease occurs when the irritating nature of asbestos fibers gradually causes severe inflammation and tissue scarring inside the lungs. As asbestosis is a type of interstitial lung disease, it develops in the space between the air sacs of the lungs (alveoli), which is medically known as interstitium. The damage asbestosis produces to lung tissue cannot be reversed, but when the disease is detected early, it can be successfully managed with appropriate treatment. People who suffer from asbestosis are 10 times more likely to develop lung cancer than those without the condition.

According to the American Public Health Association, asbestosis was the culprit behind 9,000 deaths in the U.S. between 1968 and 2005. Nevertheless, the prevalence of this disease has increased considerably over recent decades due to the massive employment of asbestos which took place throughout the last century. Since asbestosis typically takes several years to develop, the number of new cases has inevitably grown recently and is expected to remain steady for at least one more decade.

Due to the severe scarring asbestosis causes, lung tissue thickens and becomes more and more rigid, which will eventually hinder breathing and oxygen absorption to a great extent. As a consequence of tissue inflammation, pulmonary hypertension may also accompany asbestosis. The latency period of this disease ranges between 7 and 20 years. However, there have been cases in which asbestosis ensued within four decades from the first asbestos exposure. Some of the most common symptoms people suffering from asbestos experience are:

  • difficulty breathing
  • a lingering dry cough
  • chest tightness and/or pain
  • swelling in the neck or face
  • coughing up blood
  • loss of appetite
  • shortness of breath
  • fatigue
  • nail clubbing
  • unintentional weight loss

While pleural effusion is often a symptom of advanced mesothelioma, lung cancer or asbestosis, it is not uncommon for this condition to develop independently either as a result of asbestos exposure. It may also precede the onset of pleural thickening, another asbestos-related lung condition which you can read about below. Pleural effusion occurs when excess fluid accumulates between the two layers of the pleura – the thin layer of tissue covering the lungs.

In relation to asbestos exposure, it arises when fibers embedded in the pleural tissue produce swelling and inflammation, which causes blood vessels to leak. If pleural effusion is not promptly taken care of by a specialist, the fluid surrounding the lungs may become infected, which can bring about complications such as empyema or a collapsed lung. Pleural effusion usually develops within 10 years from the first asbestos exposure. Although the condition is asymptomatic in some people, others may experience one or more of the following symptoms:

  • fever
  • shortness of breath
  • fatigue
  • rapid breathing
  • a chronic dry cough
  • hiccups
  • chest pain which intensifies with coughing or taking deep breaths

According to a 2011 study, pleural plaques occur in up to 58% of individuals who underwent significant asbestos exposure. It entails the thickening of the pleura and it may also affect the diaphragm. Unlike most non-malignant conditions associated with asbestos exposure, pleural plaques cannot lead to mesothelioma or lung cancer. Moreover, patients suffering from this condition rarely experience distressing symptoms, as pleural plaques do not tend to develop into a more severe illness over time. In general, pleural plaques are not a life-threatening condition. They typically form in 20 to 40 years from the first asbestos exposure.

Pleural plaques may occasionally co-occur with pleural thickening, another benign condition which results from asbestos exposure, as well as with pleural effusion. In 5-15% of cases, pleural plaques will undergo calcification, which may affect lung function to a certain extent and prevent the patient from breathing properly. Although they are asymptomatic in the majority of individuals, pleural plaques may sometimes cause the following:

  • chest pain
  • difficulty breathing
  • a grating sensation which occurs with breathing
  • shortness of breath

While some argue that pleural plaques may be a forerunner of mesothelioma, there is no conclusive evidence in this respect.

Similarly to pleural plaques, diffuse pleural thickening also involves the thickening of the outer lining of the lungs (pleura). However, the difference between these two non-malignant conditions is notable: pleural plaques occur as distinct masses across the pleura, whereas diffuse pleural thickening causes extensive, more severe tissue scarring. Another important dissimilarity refers to prognosis. While pleural plaques rarely endanger one’s life, diffuse pleural thickening can impair lung function tremendously and may also bring about a series of other complications.

The condition can take as little as one year to develop following asbestos exposure. Nevertheless, it is usually discovered within 15 to 20 years, when thickening is severe enough to produce unpleasant symptoms. Up to 13% of people with a history of heavy asbestos exposure will develop diffuse pleural thickening in 3 to 34 years after initial exposure. The most common symptoms of this benign condition include:

  • shortness of breath
  • a persisting cough
  • chest pain
  • reduced chest wall movement
  • chest tightness

Symptoms tend to become increasingly more distressing as the condition progresses. Diffuse pleural thickening may also result in restrictive lung disease, which will cause the patient more difficulty taking deep breaths. In extreme cases, restrictive lung disease will subsequently lead to respiratory failure and, eventually, to death.

The inflammation asbestos fibers produce to tissue may also cause pulmonary hypertension, a condition which refers to high blood pressure in the arteries connecting the lungs to the heart. Inflammation is very likely to lead to the narrowing of the blood vessels in the lungs, which may increase pressure in the major arteries. Pulmonary hypertension can either ensue as a direct, independent effect of asbestos exposure or accompany pleural mesothelioma.

In the early phase, people with this condition do not usually experience any symptoms. Nonetheless, as pulmonary hypertension progresses, one or more of the following symptoms will occur:

  • a chronic cough
  • dizziness
  • shortness of breath
  • fainting
  • chest pain
  • fatigue

As another type of interstitial lung disease caused by asbestos exposure, pulmonary fibrosis also affects the space between the air sacs of the lungs (alveoli), which is medically known as interstitium. It is very similar to asbestosis in terms of development mechanism and symptoms. Likewise, the tissue scarring pulmonary fibrosis produces in the lungs is irreversible and will only worsen over time. To make matters worse, pulmonary fibrosis is a considerably more aggressive condition than asbestosis, with a median life expectancy of 5 years.

The latency period of pulmonary fibrosis ranges between 10 and 30 years. Since the progressive tissue scarring this condition involves is bound to decrease the amount of oxygen the lungs deliver to internal organs, pulmonary hypertension may also appear. It is estimated that people suffering from pulmonary fibrosis lose up to 200 milliliters of lung capacity every year. The most frequently experienced symptoms of this non-malignant condition include:

  • a dry cough
  • chest pain
  • nail clubbing
  • fever
  • shortness of breath
  • unexplained weight loss
  • fatigue
  • labored breathing

Also known as Blesovsky syndrome, rounded atelectasis is a benign condition which may occasionally accompany pleural thickening. It occurs when scar tissue contraction causes the pleura to fold into the lung. Because rounded atelectasis often resembles a malignant tumor, undergoing a biopsy might be necessary to assign a proper diagnosis. This condition is highly prevalent among former asbestos workers. Nearly 70% of cases of rounded atelectasis are diagnosed in people with a history of asbestos exposure.

Rounded atelectasis is typically asymptomatic, unless it co-occurs with asbestosis. In such cases, people may experience some of the following symptoms:

  • coughing
  • rapid breathing
  • fever
  • difficulty breathing

Depending on the severity of their condition, patients suffering from rounded atelectasis may need surgery.

Although the primary cause of emphysema and chronic bronchitis is tobacco smoking, they can also occur as a result of asbestos exposure. People who already struggle with asbestosis are more susceptible to developing one of these conditions as a complication. The mortality rate of COPD was found to be nearly 3 times higher in people with a history of asbestos exposure. According to a 2011 study, COPD which arose following occupational exposure to toxic agents – including asbestos – had been accountable for the death of approximately 375,000 people until then.

Regardless of the underlying cause, COPD generally has a poor prognosis, with the majority of patients surviving between 12 and 18 years following diagnosis. Suffering from COPD also places people with a history of asbestos exposure at higher risk of developing lung cancer or pleural mesothelioma. The most common symptoms of this benign disease are:

  • a mucus-producing cough
  • chest tightness
  • low muscle endurance
  • unexplained weight loss
  • recurring respiratory infections
  • blue fingernails due to low blood oxygen levels
  • swollen feet, ankles or legs
  • difficulty breathing
  • rapid heartbeat
  • wheezing
  • shortness of breath, particularly during physical activities

Also known as pleuritis, pleurisy refers to the inflammation of the pleura, the outer lining of the lungs. Pleurisy can occur as a symptom of multiple diseases, such as tuberculosis or pneumonia. However, it frequently develops prior to the onset of mesothelioma and lung cancer as well. Once a malignant lung disease sets in, pleurisy will usually continue to be present as a symptom. This condition often co-occurs with pleural effusion, which is actually the effect of the former.

Some of the most common signs of pleurisy in people who were exposed to asbestos are:

  • chest tenderness
  • a persisting cough
  • pain in the neck, shoulders or abdomen
  • shortness of breath
  • chest pain which worsens with coughing and ceases when holding your breath

While half of lung nodules are benign, developing after a previous respiratory infection such as pneumonia or tuberculosis, the other half refers to malignant tumors. Since asbestos exposure is known to cause lung cancer, among many other life-threatening diseases, nodules found in people with a history of asbestos exposure are more likely to be malignant. As lung nodules are asymptomatic, the majority of them are detected incidentally during imaging tests like X-rays or CT scans. Determining whether a lung nodule is benign or malignant can be done either by monitoring the rate at which it grows or by performing a tissue biopsy.

If you have a lung nodule and underwent asbestos exposure in the past, you should pay close attention to the following symptoms and seek medical attention immediately, should you experience one or more of them:

  • chest pain
  • difficulty swallowing
  • wheezing
  • hoarseness
  • shortness of breath
  • fatigue
  • a persistent cough
  • recurrent respiratory infections
  • coughing up blood
  • loss of appetite

If you believe you might have developed a non-malignant disease related to asbestos exposure, we strongly advise you to seek medical attention from a specialist as soon as possible. Early detection is critical when it comes to these conditions and in the event that you are really suffering from one, it can greatly improve your prognosis. Feel free to contact us at 760-208-4196 or by filling out the form on our Contact page and we will promptly recommend you a medical expert in your area.