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Before making an asbestos claim, anyone who suspects they may have contracted this work-related illness must diagnosed by a medical professional.
Often, asbestosis is mistaken for another, milder, health complaint, especially in the disease's early stages, but, if the sufferer knows that their employment history includes working with or in close proximity to asbestos, they should seek a doctor's opinion.
Frequently a patient's initial symptom is having a dry cough in the mornings. This is often dismissed as a common dry cough, and only in the next stages of asbestos-related problems might some people realise that their cough is something more serious than they had previously thought.
The next stage in the development of asbestosis tends to be the beginnings of breathlessness in the sufferer. At first this is only noticeable after exercise, but continues to worsen over time until the individual is still breathless while at rest.
This occurs because of the slow yet continued destruction of the lung tissue from a building up of scars and nodules, caused by asbestos fibres.
X-rays of lungs damaged by asbestos will show "shadows" on the lung tissue. These are areas were the tissue is thicker or denser due to tissue scarring. Because these areas have more mass than parts of the lung which have not yet been affected, X-rays will show those damaged areas to be darker than the rest.
Asbestosis can develop into lung cancer, mesothelioma and pleura disorders, all of which often result in a decreased quality of life for the patient. Because of this, people who, after an examination, are found to have symptoms of asbestosis, may have a biopsy taken of their lung tissue to determine whether they have developed any more serious health problems.
There is no known cure for asbestosis, other than a complete lung transplant, but doctors are able to make sufferers' lives more comfortable by treating the symptoms.
In severe, advanced cases of asbestosis, where an entire portion of the lung has ceased to work correctly, an operation can be undertaken to remove that part of the lung. In other serious cases, when an individual is struggling to breathe, doctors might put the patient on oxygen treatment to increase blood-flow to the lungs as well as reducing strain on the heart.
Making an asbestos claim
If you or a loved one is suffering from breathing or general lung problems, due to an asbestos-related health issue, you could be eligible to claim compensation with help from our expert industrial illness solicitors.
Contact our helpful and sympathetic staff on 0800 10 757 95, request a call back, or use live help to talk about your case and find out if you could make an asbestos claim for your pain, suffering and loss of earnings.
