Diagnosis of Silicosis

How Is Silicosis Diagnosed?

As many of the symptoms of Silicosis can be confused with other conditions it is critical that you seek professional medical advice if you display any of those symptoms, particularly if you have ever worked in an industry or job that involved exposure to silica dust. It is likely that it will take several visits to a doctor before Silicosis is diagnosed.

After asking a variety of questions about your life and work history, the first test your doctor is likely to carry out will involve listening to your chest using a stethoscope. This amplifies any sounds created by your lungs during breathing – such as wheezing or crackling – that might suggest any scarring or obstruction within the lungs.

A chest X-ray or high-resolution CT Scan can identify any scarring visually, with silica scars likely to appear as small white spots.

As an alternative to a chest X-ray or CT Scan, or perhaps in addition, your doctor might perform a Bronchoscopy. This involves passing a thin and flexible tube with a camera at the end down your throat and into your lungs, allowing the doctor to see the inside of the lungs and identify any issues in the lung tissue. Samples can be taken of fluid and tissue during the test which can then be analysed to see what is causing any problems.

A range of breathing tests might be carried out to identify how efficiently your lungs are operating, and in some cases a biopsy may be taken from the lung to identify any further, additional or underlying issues.

There are three main elements which allow a doctor to diagnose Silicosis as opposed to the other lung conditions that present similar symptoms.

The first is to establish that the patient has been exposed to enough silica dust to cause this particular illness. This can be as a result of infrequent, high doses of the dust, or lower doses inflicted over the course of a number of years.

The second tell-tale sign of Silicosis rather than other diseases is the typical nature of the scarring within the lungs – the scars usually appear as small white spots during the earlier stages, growing larger as the disease takes hold.
The final test is to establish that no other underlying illness is causing the symptoms.

Once these three key elements have been established it is possible for the doctor to give a clear diagnosis, and in many cases this will mean that the sufferer is eligible to make a claim for compensation as exposure to the dust should have been minimised and protection for the sufferer, as an employee, should have been provided to reduce the risk of developing this dreadful condition.

Contact us today for free, no obligation advice regarding your Silicosis claim – either by calling us free on 0800 999 1875, or by requesting a free call back, whereby one of our team will contact you at a time of your choosing to discuss your situation. When you contact us you are under no obligation to continue with the case unless you wish to do so.

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