What are the Clinical Signs of Asbestosis?

Clinical presentation of this disease may include the following:

• Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
  -rarely occurs before a decade of exposure
  -appears first only upon exertion and subsequently occurs at rest
• Dry cough
  -dry and troublesome cough, perhaps associated with chest pain
• X-Ray changes
  -generally beginning with irregular opacities at the bases of the lungs, perhaps extending into the upper zones gradually
• Pulmonary function deficiencies
  -typically a pulmonary function test reveals a restrictive lung disease pattern
  -there may be a pulmonary function loss before x-ray changes become evident

Other more advanced symptoms of this disease include clubbing of the fingers (increased thickness of the digits and curvature of the nails) and cor pulmonale. Medical monitoring for radiologic changes is key, as persons with asbestosis have an increased risk of developing a malignancy.