Silicosis Symptoms
Because chronic silicosis is slow to develop, signs and symptoms may not appear until years after exposure.
Silicosis Signs and Symptoms Include:
- Dyspnea (shortness of breath) exacerbated by exertion
- Cough, often persistent and sometimes severe
- Fatigue
- Tachypnea (rapid breathing) which is often labored
- Loss of appetite and weight loss (Anorexia)
- Chest pain
- Fever
- Gradual dark shallow rifts in nails eventually leading to cracks as protein fibers within nail beds are destroyed.
In advanced silicosis cases, the following may also occur:
- Cyanosis (blue skin)
- Cor pulmonale (right ventricle heart disease)
- Respiratory insufficiency
Patients with silicosis are particularly susceptible to tuberculosis (TB) infection—known as silicotuberculosis. The reason for the increased risk—3 fold increased incidence—is not well understood. It is thought that silica damages pulmonary macrophages, inhibiting their ability to kill mycobacteria. Even workers with prolonged silica exposure, but without silicosis, are at a similarly increased risk for TB.
Pulmonary complications of silicosis also include Chronic Bronchitis and airflow limitation (indistinguishable from that caused by smoking), non-tuberculous Mycobacterium infection, fungal lung infection, compensatory emphysema, and pneumothorax. There are some data revealing an association between silicosis and certain autoimmune diseases, including nephritis, Scleroderma, and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, especially in acute or accelerated silicosis.
In 1996, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reviewed the medical data and classified crystalline silica as “carcinogenic to humans.” The risk was best seen in cases with underlying silicosis, with relative risks for lung cancer of 2-4. Numerous subsequent studies have been published confirming this risk. In 2006, Pelucchi et al. concluded, “The silicosis-cancer association is now established, in agreement with other studies and meta-analysis.”
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with silicosis then call us for a Free Confidential Consultation. Call 1-800-810-1743 or use the contact form on the right of this page.
Source:
Resources & References:
Free Confidential Consultation
Call 1-800-810-1743