Silicosis classification

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

There are 5 subtypes of silicosis that are differentiated according to the duration of exposure, development of symptoms, pulmonary function, and findings on chest imaging. Silicosis is classified as either simple chronic, complicated chronic, interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, accelerated silicosis, and acute silicosis.

Classification

There are 5 subtypes of silicosis that are differentiated according to the duration of exposure, development of symptoms, pulmonary function, and findings on chest imaging.

Subtype	Simple Chronic	Complicated Chronic	Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis	Accelerated Silicosis	Acute Silicosis
Duration of Exposure	Disease develops > 10 years following exposure to low - moderate concentrations of silica dust	Disease develops > 10 years following exposure to silica dust	Disease develops > 10 years following exposure to silica dust.	Disease develops 5 to 10 years following high exposure to silica dust	Disease develops within 5 years of exposure to extremely high concentrations of silica dust
Symptoms	Often asymptomatic	Dyspnea and cough	Dyspnea and cough	Dyspnea, weakness, and weight loss	Severe, disabling dyspnea, weakness, weight loss, and progressive respiratory failure
Pulmonary Function	May be normal or reduced	May be normal or reduced	May be normal or reduced	Reduced with rapid deterioration of FVC and FEV1	Reduced with restrictive changes and reduced diffusion capacity
Imaging Findings	Nodules < 10 mm	Nodules > 1 cm with either obstructive or restrictive changes of variable severity	Diffuse reticulonodular pattern similar to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis	Rapidly progressing nodules and masses	Bilateral perihilar acinar pattern consolidations with ground glass appearance