Asbestosis disease, as the name suggests, is an illness that is being caused if a person was exposed to asbestos. Of course, that doesn't mean that everybody who got in contact with this toxic material will automatically develop asbestosis cancer. And actually, asbestosis is not a cancer, even though it often is referred to as such. Many times when new patients get diagnosed, their exposure to asbestos was years or even decades back ago. That makes the diagnosis very difficult, because by the time the first asbestosis symptoms are being exhibited by a person, the disease has already evolved to an advanced stage.

Patients typically name chest pain and shortness of breath among the most common symptoms. As for the diagnosis of asbestosis disease: a doctor will perform a physical exam with strong focus on the respiratory system of the patient and possible impairments. Atypical breathing patterns, unusual sounds, like crackling or whistling as the patient inhales or exhales, might be taken as first indications of asbestosis disease. In a next step, the person is typically order to get an x-ray of the chest done.

The aforementioned symptoms cannot be conclusively attributed to asbestosis, but might also be and indication for other diseases, like mesothelioma and asbestos induced forms of cancer, i.e. lung cancer. In order to further narrow down on what kind of disease the patient is suffering from, doctors will usually order a CT-Scan. This diagnosis tool is basically a high tech camera that can take multi dimensional pictures of a person's body in high sequences. These pictures are then being compiled together by a computer which produces numerous images which help to diagnose the disease more conclusively. I had CT scans done myself when I was sent in for confirming that I had kidney stones. The CT scan however confirmed that I had no kidney stones, but a large mass in my left kidney instead. I therefore was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

But back to asbestosis disease; the only procedure that can confirm a diagnosis reliably, is a biopsy. During a biopsy, a tissue sample is being extracted from the patient and sent to a lab for further examination. The lab performs a series of test and also checks on malignant cell occurrences. A biopsy is obviously a much more invasive diagnostic tool, but often the only way to conclusively determine whether a patient has developed asbestosis disease.