Anthracosis
Contents:
Description:
Anthracosis – the occupational disease of lungs caused by long inhalation of coal dust.
Anthracosis reasons:
Develops at workers with a long standing of work (15-20 years) in the conditions of influence of coal dust (the miners working at dredging of coal, working enrichment factories and some other productions).
Anthracosis reasons
Anthracosis symptoms:
Primary anthracosis proceeds asymptomatically, especially at those who do not smoke. If disease becomes complicated, short wind develops at a tension and cough, sometimes with department of a phlegm of black color. An asthma can accrue, the expectorated phlegm happens milk color, gray, transparent or speckled by black points. During often repeating infections the phlegm becomes dense, gains yellow or green color.
Further the disease can be complicated by pulmonary hypertensia, increase in the sizes of heart and tuberculosis. At smokers the further aggravation of symptoms leads to chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Lung anthracosis
Diagnosis:
During the poll it is found out that the patient was affected by coal dust. At physical inspection note a barrel-shaped breast; sites of a percussion sound, the weakened breath and other sounds not inherent to a healthy lung are listened. At a simple form of an anthracosis the X-ray analysis of a thorax finds small shadings on all zones of a lung, but is preferential in upper parts; at the complicated anthracosis one is observed (or more) the big opaque site.
Researches of pulmonary function allow to estimate the capacity of lungs. Besides, the analysis of gas structure of an arterial blood gives information on content in blood of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Treatment of an anthracosis:
Treatment is directed to relief of symptoms, to reduction of oxygen insufficiency, the prevention of infections and contact with irritants of respiratory tracts.
