Diagnosing Asbestosis

How Is Asbestosis Diagnosed?

Asbestosis Diagnosis

One of the many difficulties faced when trying to diagnose Asbestosis is that many of the early symptoms can also be found in less serious conditions such as Asthma and Pneumonia.

Medical tests

A full medical evaluation is necessary, and will often feature a chest X-ray in order to detect any abnormalities within the structure of the lungs that could be caused by asbestosis.

Following that it is quite likely that you will be put through a computerised topography scan (known as a CT scan) which can produce more detailed images of both the lungs and the membrane that covers the lungs. This might help identify less obvious abnormalities which an X-ray alone might not detect.

Another part of the diagnosis will usually feature lung function tests in order to assess the impact of any damage that has already taken place within the lungs. It can also test how much air your lungs can hold, and how well the oxygen is passed from your lungs into your bloodstream.

Work History

The key point when looking into whether the diagnosis is for asbestosis, or some other pulmonary or lung disease, comes when looking into a person’s work history.

Asbestos use increased significantly after the Second World War, peaking in the 1970s before declining in the 1980s. Now that it is no longer used, those at most risk are those whose job involves dealing with, or removing any asbestos that is found in older buildings, as when it is damaged is when the fibres are most likely to be released. Fortunately these days, because the dangers are well documented, anyone potentially exposed to asbestos must wear suitable protective clothing and follow appropriate systems to minimise the danger of breathing in the dust and the subsequent dangers they might face. Sadly, in the past these safety procedures and equipment were not always available; in fact in many cases people were exposed to high levels of the dangerous fibres without any protection at all, in some cases throughout their working lives.

There is no single occupation that is most at risk of developing the condition, but anyone who has worked extensively with insulation, mining, in shipyards, construction and demolition, and those who have served in the military are often most at risk of having been exposed to asbestos during their careers. In order for asbestosis to develop, it usually takes prolonged exposure over many years for the build up of fibres to become high enough, but lower levels of exposure can also prove very dangerous.