Silicosis Causes

Simple /Chronic Silicosis – which results from long-term exposure (more than 20 years) to low amounts of silica dust. Nodules of chronic inflammation and scarring provoked by the silica dust form in the lungs and chest lymph nodes. This disease may feature breathlessness and may resemble chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Chronic silicosis can be either simple silicosis or complicated silicosis (also called progressive massive fibrosis), a distinction based on the chest radiographic appearance

• Simple Silicosis may be asymptomatic or may present with exertional dyspnea and cough with sputum production. Differentiating these symptoms from chronic bronchitis and emphysema in a smoker may be difficult.
• Complicated Silicosis, dyspnea and productive cough often are accompanied by constitutional symptoms of malaise and weight loss

Accelerated Silicosis – occurs after exposure to larger amounts of silica over a shorter period of time (4-8 years). Inflammation, scarring, and symptoms progress faster in accelerated silicosis than in simple silicosis.

Acute Silicosis – results from short-term exposure to very large amounts of silica. The lungs become very inflamed and may fill with fluid, causing severe shortness of breath and low blood oxygen levels. Acute silicosis follows massive exposure to dust in unregulated environments. A subset of acute silicosis is silicoproteinosis, the chest radiographic appearance of which mimics pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Acute silicosis causes symptoms of severe dyspnea, cough, fever, and weight loss.Silicoproteinosis is often called acute silicosis), an alveolar lipoproteinosis which occurs after a very heavy exposure to small particles (less than 5.7 mm) of silica (quartz, cristobalite or tridymite). Initial changes consist of a diffuse haze in the lower lung fields. Later, ground-glass appearances, as well as coarse linear or rounded opacities are seen. A miliary picture with very small round opacities may also occur in the lower lung fields. The diagnosis of alveolar proteinosis may be readily made by the appearance of the bronchoalveolar fluid, which has a characteristic milky appearance. It is estimated that up to half the cases of alveolar proteinosis may be due to acute silicosis.