Highlights & Basics
- Asbestosis onset occurs ≥10 years following the initial exposure to asbestos.
- Patients may be asymptomatic or have progressive shortness of breath.
- A chest radiograph is the preferred initial test.
- There is no definitive treatment.
- Cigarette smoking cessation is important to reduce risk of lung cancer.
Quick Reference
History & Exam
Key Factors
Other Factors
Diagnostics Tests
Treatment Options
Definition
Epidemiology
Etiology
Pathophysiology
Images
Posterior-anterior view of the chest with bibasilar linear interstitial changes consistent with asbestosis
Posterior-anterior view of the chest with "en face" pleural changes in the mid zones on the right and left (arrows)
Diffuse pleural thickening (arrowheads) and elevated left hemidiaphragm (dotted arrow)
Posterior-anterior view of the chest with "mesa"-like pleural thickening of the left diaphragm and "in-profile" pleural thickening of the mid zones of both the left and right lungs
CT scan of the chest showing multiple examples of pleural thickening most with calcification (arrows)
CT scan confirming symmetrical thickening (arrowheads) with a calcified pleural plaque (broken arrow, top right) and an area of rounded atelectasis (Blesovsky sign; dotted arrow, bottom right)
Citations
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Banks DE, Shi R, McLarty J, et al. American College of Chest Physicians consensus statement on the respiratory health effects of asbestos. Results of a Delphi study. Chest. 2017 Sep 18;4(1):e000223.[Abstract][Full Text]
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