Silicosis Symptoms:

Silicosis is most commonly diagnosed in people over the age of forty as it usually takes years of exposure before the effects of the gradually progressive lung damage becomes apparent. Damage to the lung tissue means that the lungs cannot perform their function of supplying oxygen to the blood as well as they should. The symptoms resulting from this include a cough, with or without sputum, shortness of breath particularly on exertion, and chest tightness. These symptoms of silicosis develop over time as the lung tissue becomes irreversibly damaged by fibrosis and is replaced with solid nodules of scar tissue. This gets getting worse as the lung damage increases.

In the most common form of silicosis, called chronic silicosis, these symptoms develop over many years of exposure. However, in the rarer form, called acute silicosis, the symptoms develop very quickly after only a short period of exposure to high levels of silica dust. In this acute form sufferers can sometimes die within a year.

The damage suffered by the lungs leaves a person susceptible to lung infections, and to TB in particular. Smoking not only aggravates the symptoms of silicosis but also speeds up the progress of the disease. For this reason it is essential that those diagnosed with silicosis are helped to give up smoking.There is no cure for silicosis. It’s essential that the person with silicosis remove themselves from the risks of further silica exposure and that they stop smoking. In the winter immunization against influenza ('flu') is recommended. Sufferers should also have a vaccination against pneumococcal infection, a very common cause of pneumonia. Treatment to reduce inflammation and improve lung function may help and home oxygen therapy can be provided when needed to help with breathing difficulties.

 Common Silicosis Symptoms: