How is Asbestosis Treated

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Although there's no cure for the damage asbestos has already done to a person's lungs, there are treatments doctors can offer to help the asbestosis patient live a more comfortable life. In addition, there are some simple self-help techniques patients can learn to ease their own asbestosis symptoms and help themselves.

Prescription drugs known as bronchodilators, either inhaled or as pills, open up narrowed lung passages and ease shortness of breath. These are the same drugs that are prescribed for asthma patients. Physical therapy to the chest can also help shortness of breath and other asbestosis symptoms, such as coughing.

Pulmonary hypertension, one of the possible complications of asbestosis, may need additional medication such as blood thinners. Another possible complication, fluid filling the chest cavity around the outside of the lungs, can be treated with an outpatient surgical procedure that drains the fluid and eases the pressure on the lungs. This is called thoracentesis.

Malignant Mesothelioma Chest pain can be a symptom of asbestosis. It usually answers to over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol or Advil. But chest pain can also be a symptom of other conditions, such as heart problems or even an asbestos cancer such as lung cancer or pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the mesothelium that can cuase pressure in the chest and is also linked to asbestos exposure, so it's best to use painkillers under a doctor's supervision.

More severe asbestosis cases may need at-home supplemental oxygen. The most advanced cases may require a lung transplant, when a patient's own lungs are too badly scarred to continue supporting his body. This is most common in patients who have other lung damage in addition to asbestosis, such as emphysema from smoking or silicosis from silica exposure.

Simple things a patient can do to help himself include drinking plenty of fluids, which can help a dry, hacking cough. Physical conditioning under a doctor's guidance can improve breathing efficiency, so that more oxygen reaches the lungs with every breath. If the disease is too advanced for exercise to help, then the patient can learn to conserve energy during his daily activities.

In addition to easing the patient's symptoms, it's also important to prevent further lung damage. This is done by stopping the exposure to asbestos or any other toxic substance, such as silica dust. Studies show that when toxic exposure stops, the disease usually doesn't get any worse.

Most importantly, asbestosis patients should quit smoking and avoid cigarette smoke. Although smoking is not related to mesothelioma, the dangers of cancer are multiplied as many as 59 times when asbestosis patients also smoke cigarettes or pipes, or chew tobacco. Even if lung cancer doesn't develop, smoking can cause additional damage to a patient's lungs, such as emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This additional damage can only make it harder for an asbestosis patient to breathe.

Asbestos Cancer Asbestos exposure has also been linked to other forms of cancer, such as esophageal or colon cancer. So it's also important for the asbestosis patient to see his doctor regularly for cancer screening and to learn the early warning signs of any form of cancer, such as hoarseness, sores in the mouth, and blood in urine or stools, to ensure that a diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, or any other type of malignancy, is caught as soon as possible.

Asbestosis patients must also guard against respiratory infections, which can be fatal to a person who already has trouble breathing. It's common for doctors to treat any infection, even the common cold, very aggressively, with immediate antibiotics. Many doctors recommend annual flu and pneumonia vaccinations for patients with asbestosis, and warn against being around people with infections.

'How is Asbestosis Treated' Resources:
  1. Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition). Online. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (2005).
  2. Mayo Clinic. "Asbestosis." Online.
    Accessed: 15 July 2007.
  3. Varkey, Basil M.D., FRCPC, FCCP, et al. "Asbestosis.", http://emedicine.com/ Online.
    Accessed: 8 July 2005.
  4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry. "Asbestos Toxicity: Treatment and Management. " Online.
    Accessed: 14 July 2007.

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