kind of treatments are there for asbestos?
Asbestos is a mineral fibre that when inhaled can cause lung disease. The lung disease can take a number of different forms, but sad to say that there are not many specific treatments for any of these - it's mainly supportive care with oxygen, pain relief, etc.
I'll try to summarize the different types as follows:
1. Pleural plaques - these are benign and generally don't cause problems, or only very mild symptoms. They are evidence of asbestos exposure.
2. Pleural disease - a slightly different form, with more severe thickening which can impair breathing.
3. Asbestosis - diffuse lung disease that is usually slowly progressive and can be fatal in the end-stage, causing respiratory failure.
4. Mesothelioma - the most feared form, effectively a cancer of the pleura (the lining of the lungs). There are newer chemo agents for this, but none are that effective. Surgery is rarely considered
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