Prognosis
Prognosis is the expectation of what will happen to a person with a
disease (1).
Doctors base a prognosis on the past experiences of other doctors treating the same disease, and on any research that has been done.
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For
asbestos-related diseases, the prognosis depends upon the severity of the patient's lung damage. And that depends upon how many asbestos fibers the person inhaled. The more fibers inhaled, the worse the damage to a person's lungs (2). Asbestos-related diseases can get worse even after all
exposure to asbestos has stopped (2).
Asbestosis usually gets worse only slowly (3). At first the patient may notice it only as shortness of breath when exercising or working hard. But the shortness of breath will gradually interfere with daily activities such as bathing or dressing (3). It can become so severe that it leads to heart and lung failure, and death after 12-24 years (2).
Pleural diseases, such as plaques or thickening, usually have no symptoms (2). Often the patient doesn't even know he has it. But it can continue to worsen gradually over a person's life. If pleural disease is severe, it will restrict the movement of a person's lungs until breathing becomes very difficult (2).
The prognosis for lung cancer caused by asbestos is the same as lung cancer with any other cause (2). Less than 15% of lung cancer patients live longer than five years (2).
Mesothelioma has the worst prognosis of any asbestos-related disease. It is often fatal within months, although some patients have lived with the disease for several years (2).