Interstitial Lung Disease & Asbestos

Numerous environmental factors such as asbestos, silica dust, coal dust, cotton dust, and hard metal dusts can cause several forms of interstitial lung disease (ILD). Diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, and other connective tissue and blood-related disorders can also cause ILD. Interstitial lung disease is sometimes caused by certain medications and infections, including pneumonia and cytomegalovirus. The form of interstitial lung disease caused by asbestos is called asbestosis. Asbestosis is also known as pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial pneumonitis.

The term interstitial pneumonitis is sometimes confusing because the name is similar to pneumonia. However, this condition is not the same as pneumonia, as it is not caused by an infection. If you have interstitial pneumonitis that was caused by asbestos exposure, your doctor will most likely refer to it by the name asbestosis.

What is Interstitial Lung Disease?

Interstitial lung disease is an inflammation of the lungs that causes severe scarring. Eventually, the small airways within your lungs, known as bronchioles, develop clusters of air sacs called alveoli. The alveoli are lined by the interstitium, which is the tissue that supports them. As the inflammation causes thickening and scarring of the interstitium, the air sacs also become thicker and they begin to lose their elasticity. Gradually, the air sacs lose more and more of their capability to put oxygen into the blood and remove carbon dioxide.

The exact mechanism that triggers this scarring process is not clearly understood by scientists. The respiratory system is generally successful in its attempts to clear foreign matter such as dust from the body, but asbestos fibres are especially difficult for the lungs to expel. When the body responds to this type of injury, the repair process often leads to excess scarring and more injury.

Interstitial lung disease from asbestos exposure can take 10 to 30 years to appear from the time of the initial exposure. The good news for people with asbestosis is that the scarring process most always ceases when asbestos exposure ceases. However, the bad news is that lung damage caused by asbestos exposure cannot be reversed, as it can only be treated to relieve symptoms.

Symptoms

The symptoms of asbestosis and other interstitial lung diseases are similar to the symptoms of other lung conditions such as COPD and asthma. Unfortunately, by the time the symptoms of asbestosis appear, too much lung damage has already occurred to cure the disease.

The following symptoms are the most common signs of interstitial lung disease:

• Becoming short of breath
• Increasing fatigue during exertion
• Coughing
• Chest pain

Some patients may experience clubbed fingers

What to do now?

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