Byssinosis (patient information): Difference between revisions
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==How do I know I have Byssinosis?== | ==How do I know I have Byssinosis?== | ||
Your [[health care provider]] will take a detailed [[medical history]], and will ask many questions to try to find out whether your symptoms relate to certain exposures or times of exposure. The [[health care provider]] will also do a [[physical exam]], with special attention to the [[lungs]]. Other tests include: | |||
*[[Chest x-ray]] | |||
*[[Pulmonary function tests]] | |||
==When to seek urgent medical care== | ==When to seek urgent medical care== | ||
Revision as of 14:28, 24 March 2010
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What is Byssinosis?
Byssinosis is a disease of the lungs brought on by breathing in cotton dust or dusts from other vegetable fibers such as flax, hemp, or sisal while at work.
What are the symptoms of Byssinosis?
Symptoms will get worse at the beginning of the work week, and then improve while you are away from the workplace, or later in the work week.
What causes Byssinosis?
Breathing in the dust produced by raw cotton can cause byssinosis. It is most common in people who work in the textile industry. Those who are sensitive to the dust can have an asthma-like condition after being exposed. In those with asthma, being exposed to the dust makes breathing more difficult, but in byssinosis, the symptoms usually go away by the end of the work week. After long periods of exposure, symptoms can continue throughout the week without improving.
Methods of prevention in the U.S. have reduced the number of cases, but byssinosis is still common in developing countries. Smoking increases the risk for this disease. Being exposed to the dust many times can lead to chronic lung disease and shortness of breath or wheezing.
Who is at risk for Byssinosis?
How do I know I have Byssinosis?
Your health care provider will take a detailed medical history, and will ask many questions to try to find out whether your symptoms relate to certain exposures or times of exposure. The health care provider will also do a physical exam, with special attention to the lungs. Other tests include:
When to seek urgent medical care
Treatment options
Where to find medical care for Byssinosis
Directions to Hospitals Treating Byssinosis