Pleural Plaques, Asbestos Exposure Information
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About Asbestos and Pleural Plaques – Were you exposed to asbestos? Even decades ago? Asbestos causes a cancer called Mesothelioma and Pleural Plaques, which are fissures in the lungs, years after exposure.
Asbestos fiber and dust causes the body’s immune system to create Pleural Plaques as a response to the foreign object being in your lungs. Doctors have found that Pleural Plaques do not create any obvious symptoms and are found usually during a routine health checkup. It is important to note that Pleural Plaques are not cancerous themselves, however they are often present with other asbestos-related diseases, like Mesothelioma.
What is the connection between asbestos and Pleural plaques?
Pleural plaques develop in exposed individuals within 20 to 40 years of initial asbestos exposure. The body’s immune response causes pleural plaques to develop once asbestos fibers have become embedded in organs and membranes. Even if a person’s exposure to asbestos was relatively low, Pleural plaques can still develop after time. If the long-term exposure was high-level and continuous, Pleural plaques may develop, but the most common asbestos-related condition is then asbestosis.
Pleural plaques do not develop overnight, this condition can take decades to develop after asbestos exposure. Please note, that at this stage, it is theorized that they develop as a reaction to asbestos’ presence. Generally speaking, Pleural plaques are scars that are usually found in the lungs and diaphragm.
Pleural plaques and Asbestos Exposure, What to Do…
Please keep in mind that pleural plaque is non-cancerous and cannot become malignant. Pleural plaques can also occur without asbestos-related diseases. But, many patients who have pleural plaques are also subject to other diseases such as asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma.
If you know you were exposed to asbestos, or if you have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma, your best approach is to consult your doctor and, if your exposure to asbestos was in the workplace, consider contacting a Mesothelioma solicitors. This professional will help you seek compensation that will enable you to find the best short term care available.