What is pleural fibrosis?

Pleural fibrosis is a condition in which pleura, tissue that covers the lungs, develops fibrous tissue. Under normal conditions, the pleura is a very flexible snusted membrane, but when pleural fibrosis occurs, the pleura thickens and stiffens. Fiber growth is benign, but may cause complications to the patient if it is widespread and may be associated with the process of disease that could be harmful to the patient.

There are a number of causes of pleural fibrosis. It is often associated with asbestos and autopsy pleura by pathologist in severe cases often shows asbestos fibers built into the pleura, sometimes up to 15 years after exposure. This can also be caused by inflammatory processes, surgical trauma or pleural discharge. In mild cases, pleural fibrosis causes the development of small areas of fibrous tissue, which can cause any problems to the patient and are classically identified on X -rays of chest with unrelated reasons.

In severe cases, the whole pleura of the threads canOn, it becomes very dense and white, almost like orange wood, causing it to lose elastic properties that normally allow the tissues to spread easily when the lungs become inflated. As the pleura thickens, the lungs must work harder to inflate, and eventually thickened tissue can disrupt the lung function to a point where the patient cannot breathe or has extreme breathing problems. In these situations, the damaged pleura must be surgically removed so that the lungs can inflate.

Patients with a serious form of pleural fibrosis tend to look for medical care as breathing problems develop. The doctor can diagnose the condition using tools such as chest X -ray, suspicious tissue biopsy and lung listening. Biopsy is often recommended even in mild cases to confirm that growth is benign, rather than cancer, because cancer treatment is quite different from approach to pleural fibrosis.

It is also possible to see pleural calcification associated with pleural fibrosis. In the pleuRal calcification occurs on the pleural membrane small white plaques. In mild cases, these plaques may not be problematic, but may become a reason for concern if they increase, spread or are associated with extended pleural fibrosis. Fibrosis can also occur in mucus tears that surround other areas of the viscera, such as heart and intestine.