What are the symptoms of death from pneumoconiosis?

Pneumoconiosis is also considered an occupational disease because most patients suffering from this disease are affected by their work or living environment. The mortality rate of pneumoconiosis is very high, so patients must pay considerable attention to it. Patients with pneumoconiosis may experience unusual symptoms such as coughing, chest pain, and hemoptysis, so it is important to learn how to identify them in a timely manner.

Beware of early symptoms of pneumoconiosis

Pneumoconiosis is a systemic disease characterized by diffuse fibrosis (scarring) of the lung tissue caused by long-term inhalation of industrial dust (dust) during occupational activities and its retention in the lungs. Pneumoconiosis can be divided into inorganic pneumoconiosis and organic pneumoconiosis according to the type of inhaled dust. Pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of inorganic dust during production labor is called inorganic pneumoconiosis. Most pneumoconiosis is inorganic pneumoconiosis. Pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of organic dust is called organic pneumoconiosis, such as byssinosis and farmer's lung. The twelve statutory types of pneumoconiosis in my country are: silicosis, coal worker's pneumoconiosis, electrical ink pneumoconiosis, carbon ink pneumoconiosis, talc pneumoconiosis, cement pneumoconiosis, mica pneumoconiosis, potters' pneumoconiosis, aluminum pneumoconiosis, welder's pneumoconiosis, and foundry worker's pneumoconiosis.

Clinical manifestations

Pneumoconiosis has no specific clinical manifestations, and its clinical manifestations are often related to complications.

cough

In the early stage of pneumoconiosis, the cough is usually not obvious, but as the disease progresses, the patients are often complicated with chronic bronchitis, and in the late stage, the patients are often complicated with lung infection, both of which can significantly aggravate the cough. Cough is related to season, climate, etc.

Expectoration

Coughing up phlegm is mainly caused by the respiratory system's continuous removal of dust. Generally, the amount of sputum coughed up is not much, and it is mostly gray and thin. If combined with pulmonary infection and chronic bronchitis, the amount of sputum will increase significantly, and the sputum will appear yellow, sticky or lumpy. Often difficult to cough up.

Chest pain

Pneumoconiosis patients often feel chest pain, but there is usually no correlation or parallel relationship between chest pain and the clinical manifestations of pneumoconiosis. The location varies and often changes, and is mostly localized. It is usually a dull pain, but may also be a bloating or stabbing pain.

trouble breathing

As the degree of lung tissue fibrosis increases, the effective breathing area decreases, the ventilation/blood flow ratio becomes unbalanced, and breathing difficulties gradually worsen. Comorbidities

The pulmonary occurrence of pneumoconiosis can significantly increase the degree and development speed of dyspnea.

Hemoptysis

It is relatively rare. It may be caused by long-term chronic inflammation of the respiratory tract, resulting in damage to the mucosal blood vessels, resulting in a small amount of blood in the sputum. It may also be caused by the dissolution and rupture of large fibrotic lesions, which damage the blood vessels and increase the amount of blood.

other

In addition to the above-mentioned respiratory system symptoms, there may be systemic symptoms of varying degrees, the most common of which is decreased digestive function.

Complications

1. Respiratory system infection is mainly intrapulmonary infection, which is a common complication in patients with pneumoconiosis.

2. Spontaneous pneumothorax is less common. When lung tissue and visceral pleura rupture, air enters the pleura to form pneumothorax, which is divided into three types: closed pneumothorax, tension pneumothorax, and communicating pneumothorax.

3. Tuberculosis Workers who work with dust, especially those who work with silica dust, are more likely to suffer from tuberculosis than the general population.