Asbestos pleural disease

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Asbestos pleural disease

Pleural Asbestos

What is Pleural Asbestos Disease?

Asbestos-related pleural disease is commonly referred to as asbestos-pleural effusion. Symptoms include shortness of breath and discomfort. When the pleural fluid finally disappears, the pleura in the lungs may become thickened which can suppress the lungs.

Asbestos pleural disease is a non-malignant disease caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers which injures the pleura. The pleura is the thin membrane that lines the lungs and chest cavity. If scar tissue spreads and extends along the chest wall, it is called pleural thickening. If scarring is more focused and well-defined, it is called pleural plaque.

Symptoms and diagnosis of Pleural Asbestos

Asbestos pleural disease produces the same scarring process that occurs in the lungs with asbestosis; However, it occurs in the lining of the lungs and not in the lungs. Pleural thickening and pleural plaque can cause shortness of breath and interfere with lung function. Although the symptoms can be treated, asbestos pleural disease is permanent and progressive without healing. Even after asbestos exposure has stopped, scarring continues because of the interaction of the body with retained asbestos fibers.

Pleural scarring, which is often seen together with asbestosis, can be detected on chest radiographs and CT scans and usually reflects a history of significant asbestos exposure. It is usually needed at least 10 years after the first exposure to asbestos to develop asbestos disease.

How AMAA can help you

For more information about the symptoms, treatment, and management of Asbestos Plural Disease, please contact Asbestosis & Mesothelioma Association of Australia (AMAA) on 1800 017 758 or through the contact us form today.

Pleural Mesothelioma Effusion

A small amount of fluid usually fills the pleural cavity to help the lungs glide smoothly on the chest when we breathe in and out. When mesothelioma or other conditions cause pleural effusion, excess fluid fills the pleural cavity and can make breathing more difficult by pressing the lungs and limiting their ability to move freely.

By itself, uncomplicated pleural effusions are not life-threatening and will sometimes heal completely after 3 or 4 months. However, they often repeat regularly. They generally appear before asbestos-related diseases called pleural thickening and contribute to their development.

Pleural thickening, characterized by accumulation of fibrotic scar tissue in the pleura, can increase after each episode of effusion.

Symptoms and Causes

Patients may experience various symptoms or no symptoms at all. Symptoms include:

- Dry cough

- Hard to breathe

- Sharp chest pain that worsens with coughing or deep breath

- fever

- Malaise (general feeling of discomfort)

- Hiccups

- breathe fast

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If you are not looking for immediate treatment, pleural fluid can be infected will also cause a condition called empyema. Excess pleural fluid can also cause the lungs to collapse.

Pleural effusion can develop for many reasons, but they usually accompany asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. After exposure to asbestos, inhaled asbestos fibers can reach the pleura, causing swelling and inflammation.

In turn, this can make blood vessels leak, which can cause pleural effusion. Effusion can be malignant (caused by cancer) or not malignant (caused by a non-cancerous condition).

In addition to the associated causes of asbestos, pleural effusion can arise from other conditions, including pneumonia, tuberculosis, pulmonary embolism, various cancers and congestive heart failure. Testing fluid samples from the pleural space can help doctors determine why excess fluid is collected.

Treatment options will vary depending on the cause.

Diagnostic Process and Mesothelioma

Pleural effusion is a common symptom of mesothelioma and other diseases related to asbestos, especially as the disease progresses.

To determine whether pleural effusion exists, the doctor will perform an imaging test, usually a simple chest x-ray. The liquid will appear on X-rays once the accumulation has reached around 300 milliliters. Before that, it may be difficult to find fluid in the chest image.

There are additional signs of this condition that help doctors diagnose it. The doctor may notice a reduced breathing sound or chest movement in the affected part of the chest and a decrease in vocal resonance. Some of these symptoms can also indicate pneumonia and other diseases or disorders, so doctors usually order more tests to make an accurate diagnosis.

Diagnostic thoracentesis

After the doctor determines that there is indeed fluid in the pleural cavity, they can collect samples to be evaluated using a technique called thoracentesis. During the procedure, a doctor inserts a thin needle or plastic tube into the room where the fluid is gathered and will also remove some or all of the liquid. Pleural fluid is then sent to the laboratory for testing.

Fluid analysis can help doctors determine whether cancer or other conditions cause effusion. Statistics show lung cancer, mesothelioma, breast cancer and lymphoma account for about 75 percent of all pleural effusions that contain cancer cells.

While the results of these tests are not reliable enough to make a diagnosis of mesothelioma, they can often reveal what causes fluid buildup. If the possible cause is mesothelioma, the doctor will do a biopsy to confirm the results.

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Treatment

Although pleural effusion causes painful and uncomfortable symptoms, there are several treatment options that doctors use to treat this condition. Some aim to remove fluids to relieve symptoms (palliative), while others prevent future accumulation or treat the cause of fluid buildup.

Palliative thoracentesis

Most patients with pleural effusions that have been associated with asbestos receive thoracentesis, which removes fluid to make breathing easier and reduce pressure on the lungs. This procedure is basically the same as that used by diagnostic thesis doctors to help make a diagnosis, but as a palliative treatment, the procedure aims to drain fluid completely rather than taking small samples for testing.

Because thoracentesis does not address the causes of pleural effusion, fluid continues to collect after the procedure. Most people need to repeat it several times, if necessary, usually when symptoms return.

Catheter Placement

The doctor can also place a thin tube called a catheter into the pleural space, leaving one end outside the body. The catheter is then connected to a device that flows and collects excess fluid. After you have this procedure, your fluid will flow regularly and you will not have to go back to the doctor to undergo thoracentesis.

Pleurodesis

In some cases, doctors may recommend pleurodesis, a long-term solution to recurrent fluid buildup. During pleurodesis, the doctor begins the process of permanently closing the pleural cavity to prevent fluid accumulation. After the fluid is removed by thoracentesis, the doctor inserts a chest tube to provide medicines such as powder or bleomycin which causes inflammation and closes the pleural space.

This procedure is not always effective and may have painful side effects. It should only be done in people with good overall health and prognosis with the hope of living for at least a few months.