asbestos related pleural disease

orlaj

my father has just been diagnosed with asbestos related pleural disease .... does anyone know anything about this disease or anyone that has it ???? please reply

Vorsprung

Hi Orla

It's also known as Asbestosis, and it's a long term condition affecting the the tissues around the lungs, called the pleura. It's usually found in people who've had long term exposure to dust containing asbestos, so ex miners, builders and other people who'd have handled the stuff.

Main symptom is shortness of breath - when people present they invariably get sent for a chest xray, and that along with the history often diagnoses the condition.

Unfortunately, it's not a curable condition as the asbestos particles can't be broken down by the body - they remain and cause long term irritation.
I don't know much about the treatment, so I might leave that to more experienced people here.

orlaj

what life span is expected after this diagnosis..... he had ct scan but doctor knows very little about it as has never treated anyone with it before ... thanks for replying

Dr Galen

orlaj wrote: »

what life span is expected after this diagnosis..... he had ct scan but doctor knows very little about it as has never treated anyone with it before ... thanks for replying

orlaj sorry to hear about your dad,

also sorry to say that you probably won't get many more answers here than what you've gotten from bigjim, without knowing anything about the particular case etc, sure no could really give you the answers your looking for. could i suggest that maybe you have a chat with the Doc and look for a referral maybe to a respiratory specialist? someone more in tune with this kind of problem

Vorsprung

orlaj wrote: »

what life span is expected after this diagnosis..... he had ct scan but doctor knows very little about it as has never treated anyone with it before ... thanks for replying

Every case if different Orla, some people live for years and years with it, many with no problems. Other people are affected more by it. As MM suggests, it's best to have a chat with whatever doctor is treating your dad. If he/she hasn't too much experience with it, maybe you could suggest that he be referred onto a specialist.

Sorry for your troubles.

orlaj

thanks for yourhelp and info bigjimthefirst think there is a way to say thanks but i'm new and havent figured it out yet ...:)

orlaj

Mystik Monkey wrote: »

orlaj sorry to hear about your dad,

also sorry to say that you probably won't get many more answers here than what you've gotten from bigjim, without knowing anything about the particular case etc, sure no could really give you the answers your looking for. could i suggest that maybe you have a chat with the Doc and look for a referral maybe to a respiratory specialist? someone more in tune with this kind of problem

thanks for your help mystik monkey gonna have a chat with doc 2moro:)

Dr Galen

nice one. you should always write down any questions you come up as you go and then you'll not forget them when your there with the Doc. Hopefully it'll go ok for you all

welcome to boards.ie btw