Asbestosis: 5 Questions You Need to Ask Your Doctor!

Asbestosis is a chronic long term lung disease that is caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a soft, greyish-white material that does not burn to touch. However, it can be very dangerous.

Asbestos was used in the past in building construction and ship yards to protect against fire and as a form of insulation.

If someone breathes in the dust particles, the lungs can become scared leading to shortness of breath and a severe cough.

If you have been diagnosed with asbestosis you will have a lot of questions for your doctor but may not know where to start. Below is a list of possible questions to help you organise your thoughts:

1.       What are the possible symptoms of asbestosis?

The symptoms can differ from person to person, these can include; pains in the chest, lethargy, decreased lung capacity can cause shortness of breath, respiratory failure, finger deformity, the formation of plural plagues. A Cough is a rare symptom of asbestosis unlike mesothelioma.

2.       Is there a cure?

Sadly, there is no cure for pulmonary asbestosis. It is a progressive disease. There are some minor cases of asbestosis that can be treated with a level of success however; disease management tends to be the ultimate goal. This involves physical and emotional life changes.

3.       What drugs are used to treat and control asbestosis?

There are no drugs that can treat patients completely from asbestosis and doctors will mainly look at using drugs for symptom relief. Patients may be prescribed oxygen therapy to help with shortness of breath, nebulizer medication, corticosteroids, immunosuppressors, flu vaccine, and medication to relax the blood vessel walls. It is very rare that a patient with undergo a lung transplant.

4.       Do the prescribed drugs have side effects too?

A doctor or pharmacist will go in to more detail about the types of medication that can be prescribed depending on your personal needs. However, for information purposes immunosuppressors may cause hyperglycaemia, hypertension, stomach ulcers, and kidney or liver damage.

5.       Will you need to be hospitalised?

This will be dependent on the individual and how acute or aggressive there condition is. It is likely that you will need to be hospitalised at some point to undergo aggressive treatment but this is something that will need to be discussed with your specialist.