Health

Treatment guides issued for asbestos-related disease

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 4, 2004

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The American Thoracic Society published a guide for physicians who are treating nonmalignant diseases related to exposure to asbestos. The guide is in the second issue of the September American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Asbestos still poses a hazard for 1.3 million workers in the U. S. construction industry and for workers who maintain buildings and equipment that may contain asbestos, according to the thoracic society.

The conditions covered in the guide include asbestosis; pleural plaques and more diffuse forms of pleural thickening; benign or nonmalignant pleural effusions; and airway obstruction.

Asbestosis, one of the primary diagnoses, is associated with exposure to asbestos fibers for 10 to 20 years although short, intense exposures of several months to a year can also cause the problem.The most common respiratory symptom associated with asbestosis is dyspnea on exertion. A cough is frequently present.

A chest x-ray is one useful tool to aid in diagnosis, and high-resolution computed tomography can provide a more sensitive analysis. The diagnosing physician should also perform a pulmonary function test and sometimes a bronchoalveolar lavage procedure to collect specimens from smaller airways.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/10/04/hlbf1004.htm.

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