Asbestos Diffuse Pleural Fibrosis

Diffuse pleural fibrosis is a disease associated with pleural inflammation and fibrosis that extends into the visceral pleural due to asbestos poisoning. This condition is closely associated with asbestosis and in some cases is severe enough to causes functional lung impairment. Anyone diagnosed with asbestos diffuse pleural fibrosis should also be concerned with other asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis, asbestos lung cancer and mesothelioma cancer.

There are three primary classifications of benign asbestos-related pleural diseases, benign asbestos effusion, parietal pleural plaques and diffuse pleural fibrosis.

Asbestos related pleural diseases (specific to the lungs) are the most commonly identified abnormality associated with asbestos exposure. When an individual inhales asbestos fibers, they inadvertently transport these micro, needle-like particles to the pleura via lymphatic pathways or directly through the lung parenchyma. It is believed, asbestos fibers penetrating the lungs are pushed through the lung tissue through natural lung motion into the pleural region. When dealing with diffuse pleural fibrosis, asbestos fibers penetrate the visceral regionof the lung. The presence of asbestos fibers triggers an inflammatory response and fibrosis occurs as a result of the healing process. During the healing process, the body will develop partially calcified or discrete fibrous areas. These fibrous areas, referred to as pleural plaques, can be seen on X-rays, are usually benign and rarely cause any respiratory problems.

Diffuse pleural thickening deals specifically with an increase in the pleural width. This condition often develops after the occurrence of a benign asbestos related pleural effusion episode. However, the chance of diffuse pleural thickening increases as the latency period and duration of asbestos exposure increases. symptoms od diffuse pleural thickening typically occurs in the lower lung region or on the diaphragms. Lung impairment may occurs if the conditions advances and there is excessive thickening, in most cases there are no symptoms or impairments.

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