asbestosis symptoms

The primary symptoms are decreased tolerance for physical exertion and shortness of breath. The severity of the symptoms is often related to the amount and length of asbestos exposure.
                                      

Patients exhibit dry inspiratory crackles, which are clicking or rattling noises made by the lungs during inhalation, and clubbing of the fingers, which may include softening of the fingernail beds, bulging of the end of the finger(s) and misshapen nails – all caused by a decrease of oxygenated blood flow to the extremities. Lung cancer can also cause clubbed fingers.

                                 

There is always evidence of fibrosis in the lower lung lobes where asbestosis is most prevalent, and more than 50 percent of people develop plaques in the parietal pleura, which is the space between the chest wall and the lungs.

Fast Fact: Asbestosis patients have an 8-10 times higher risk of developing lung cancer than those without asbestosis.
                                        
Other symptoms can include:

    Coughing
    Chest pain
    Blood in the sputum
    Swelling in the neck or face
    Difficulty swallowing
    Loss of appetite
    Weight loss