asbestosis

asbestosis
/as'be stoh"sis, az'-/, n. Pathol.
a lung disease caused by the inhalation of asbestos dust.
[1925-30; < NL; see ASBESTOS, -OSIS]

* * *

Lung disease caused by long-term inhalation of asbestos fibres.

A pneumoconiosis found primarily in asbestos workers, asbestosis is also seen in people living near asbestos industries. Fibres remain in the lungs and many years later cause extensive scarring and fibrosis. Shortness of breath and inadequate oxygenation result; advanced cases include a dry cough. There is no effective treatment. The associated increased cardiac effort may induce heart disease. Cigarette smoking greatly exacerbates its symptoms. Lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma are more common with asbestos inhalation and asbestosis.

* * *

also called  white lung 

      lung disease that is caused by the prolonged inhalation of asbestos fibres. A type of pneumoconiosis, it is found primarily among workers whose occupations involved asbestos, principally mining, construction, and the manufacture of insulation, fireproofing, cement products, and automobile brakes. The disease is not limited solely to asbestos workers but is also known among people living near mines, factories, and construction sites.

      Asbestos fibres that have been inhaled remain in the lungs for years and eventually cause excessive scarring and fibrosis, resulting in a stiffening of the lungs that continues long after exposure ceases. Greater effort is needed to make the stiffened lungs expand during breathing, which results in shortness of breath and inadequate oxygenation of the blood. Persons with advanced cases of the disease have a dry cough. The increased cardiac effort needed to perfuse the lungs may induce a secondary heart disease called cor pulmonole. An increased incidence of lung cancer and of malignant mesothelioma (a rare cancer of the membrane lining the lungs) is also associated with asbestos inhalation and asbestosis. There is no effective treatment for asbestosis.

      Asbestosis appears after at least 10 years' exposure to asbestos. The first symptoms typically do not appear until many years after the initial exposure; shipyard workers exposed to asbestos during World War II began developing asbestosis in the 1960s and '70s. (Mesothelioma, by contrast, can develop after relatively little exposure to asbestos.) Cigarette smoking seriously aggravates the symptoms of asbestosis and increases the risk of cancer. The incidence of asbestosis increased after 1950, probably due to the increasingly widespread industrial use of asbestos. This use declined from the 1970s and had been prohibited in many countries by the 1990s owing to asbestos fibres' deleterious effects on the lungs. As a result, the incidence and severity of asbestosis has decreased sharply.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Asbestosis — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Artículo principal: Asbesto La asbestosis es una enfermedad pulmonar causada por la inhalación de fibras de asbesto (también conocido como amianto) …   Wikipedia Español

  • asbestosis — f. intox. Amiantosis. Medical Dictionary. 2011. asbestosis variedad de ne …   Diccionario médico

  • asbestosis — n. A lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos particles. The Essential Law Dictionary. Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008 …   Law dictionary

  • asbestosis — (De asbesto y osis). f. Med. Enfermedad pulmonar crónica producida por la inhalación repetida del polvo del asbesto …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • asbestosis — [as΄bes tō′sis, az΄bes tō′sis] n. [ModL: see ASBESTOS & OSIS] a form of pneumoconiosis caused by inhaling asbestos particles …   English World dictionary

  • Asbestosis — MeshID = D001195 Asbestosis is a chronic inflammatory medical condition affecting the parenchymal tissue of the lungs. It occurs after long term, heavy exposure to asbestos, e.g. in mining, and is therefore regarded as an occupational lung… …   Wikipedia

  • Asbestosis — ► sustantivo femenino MEDICINA Enfermedad respiratoria causada por la inhalación de polvo de amianto. IRREG. plural asbestosis * * * asbestosis (de «asbesto» y « osis») f. Med. Enfermedad producida por inhalación de partículas de asbesto. ≃… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • asbestosis — n. a lung disease – a form of pneumoconiosis – caused by fibres of asbestos inhaled by those who are exposed to the mineral. The incidence of lung cancer is high in such patients, particularly if they smoke cigarettes (see also mesothelioma).… …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • asbestosis — Pneumoconiosis due to inhalation of asbestos fibers suspended in the ambient air; sometimes complicated by pleural mesothelioma or bronchogenic carcinoma; ferruginous bodies are the histologic hallmark of exposure to …   Medical dictionary

  • asbestosis — asbestozė statusas T sritis ekologija ir aplinkotyra apibrėžtis Lėtinė profesinė plaučių liga, kuria susergama ilgą laiką kvėpuojant asbesto dulkėmis užterštu oru. atitikmenys: angl. asbestosis vok. Asbestose, f rus. aсбестоз, m …   Ekologijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”