Asbestos Ilnesses :

Asbestos Ilnesses

Asbestos-related conditions can be difficult to identify. Healthcare providers usually identify the possibility of asbestos exposure and related health conditions, like lung and pleural disease, by taking a thorough medical history. This includes looking at the person's medical, work, cultural, and environmental history. After a physician suspects an asbestos-related health condition, he or she can use a number of tools to help make the actual diagnosis. An accurate medical history is essential for an accurate diagnosis.

Ways to Detect Lung and Pleural Disease

Physical Examination
Chest X-ray
Pulmonary function tests
Biopsy/Bronchoscopy
Computed Tomography Scans

Physical Examination

Chest X-ray - The chest X-ray is the most common tool used to detect lung and pleural disease caused by chronic exposure to asbestos. X-rays often show pleural changes in people who have been exposed to asbestos. Although X-rays cannot specifically determine if a condition is asbestos-related, lung abnormalities can be noted. These changes include pleural plaques (the most frequent lesions): discrete, elevated, opaque, shiny fibrosis lesions that are currently more common than asbestosis in exposed persons; diffuse pleural thickening and pleural effusions, are early manifestations of inhalation exposure to high concentrations of asbestos. Pleural effusions can be an early indication of mesothelioma and warrant further evaluation. Early identification of mesothelioma and intervention can increase chances of survival.

Pulmonary function tests

Biopsy/Bronchoscopy. A lung biopsy to detect asbestos fibers in pieces of lung tissue, while not needed to make a clinical diagnosis, is the most reliable test to determine the presence of asbestos-related effects. Less invasive tests (e.g. bronchoscopy) can detect asbestos fibers or asbestos bodies in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid or in sputum. These tests, however, do not reliably indicate how much asbestos a person may have been exposed to or predict whether disease will develop.

Computed Tomography Scans (CT Scans)

Over the past 20 years, several investigators have evaluated the potential of conventional scans for detecting abnormalities in asbestos-exposed workers. During 2001, ATSDR completed a study examining the effectiveness of CT-scans in detecting asbestos-related lung abnormalities as a part of a medical testing program conducted in Libby, Montana, where asbestos exposure occurred. Click here to read the protocol for the ATSDR study. A CT scan is an image produced by an X-ray source that rotates around the patient. The beams pass through the patient and are detected on the other side. This information is analyzed by computer to generate a cross-sectional view of the patient at that level. Studies have shown that CT offers several advantages over routine chest radiography (X-ray). First, the use of cross-sectional images often makes it possible to distinguish between densities that would be superimposed on plain radiographs. Second, CT is far better than routine radiographic studies at characterizing tissue density, distinguishing subtle differences in density between adjacent structures, and providing accurate size assessment of lesions.