| Here is the short version in unsophisticated and | | | | are benign and do not directly cause any |
| unscientific terms: pleural thickening is the result of | | | | symptoms in a patient, other than a slightly |
| pleural plaques. | | | | impaired lung function. |
| It strongly depends on the level of asbestos | | | | Typically, the only treatment is to monitor a |
| exposure what kind of lung disease a person may | | | | patient's situation very closely to see if the pleural |
| develop. Frequent and intense contact, stretched | | | | plaques develop any further. In very few cases it |
| over a long period of time usually results in | | | | might be a considerable option to perform a |
| asbestosis, a non cancerous form of an asbestos | | | | surgery with the goal to remove as much of the |
| induced disease. | | | | fibrotic tissue as possible. However, more recent |
| But if a person's exposure is rather intermittent | | | | studies suggest that this form of pleural plaques |
| and less intense, he is more likely to develop | | | | treatment does not improve the overall situation |
| mesothelioma, lung cancer or pleural plaques. | | | | and is therefore not worth taking the risk that is |
| Pleural plaques, though, is not an illness but it is | | | | associated with this rather invasive approach. |
| definitely indicative of exposure to asbestos. As a | | | | I can't emphasize enough the importance of |
| matter of fact, more often than not, it is the only | | | | consulting your doctor and having regular check |
| indication of asbestos exposure. It is important to | | | | ups scheduled. If you are concerned that you |
| understand the connection between pleural | | | | might have been exposed to asbestos or if you |
| plaques and asbestosis or mesothelioma; if pleural | | | | encounter any unusual symptoms, do not waste |
| plaques are found in a patient, it does not | | | | any time but go and see a health care |
| necessarily mean that he has either one of the | | | | professional. And I am not just saying that |
| aforementioned health conditions. But the opposite | | | | causally, as a matter of fact I like to wrap up this |
| constellation is not true. In almost all of the cases, | | | | article by demonstrating you the necessity of |
| a newly diagnosed asbestosis or mesothelioma | | | | reacting immediately in such a situation. |
| patient will have developed pleural plaques. | | | | A few months back ago, I pass blood in my urine, |
| Pleural plaques consist of a white, fibrous and | | | | but didn't experience any kind of pain at all. I went |
| flexible substance and occur in the form of little | | | | to see an Urologist right away. Long story short: I |
| nodules. They typically develop in the pleura, also | | | | was diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma, the |
| called the outer lining, which is a thin layer | | | | cancer of the kidney. My left kidney was |
| surrounding the lungs and other organs in the | | | | removed via a laparoscopic radical nephrectomy |
| abdomen. That causes the pleura to expand and | | | | and fortunately, the cancer was entirely confined |
| this occurrence is called pleural thickening. The | | | | to the organ and had not yet spread any further. |
| nodules have the tendency to calcify which | | | | However, the results could have been vastly |
| increases their visibility on x-rays of the chest. | | | | different if I had waited any longer. |
| They can vary in size and shape. Pleural plaques | | | | |