BLACK LUNG DISEASE SYMPTOMS |
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Since the particles of fine coal dust,
which a miner breathes when he is in the mines, cannot be destroyed
within the lungs or removed from them, builds up. Eventually, this
build-up causes thickening and scarring, making the lungs less
efficient in supplying oxygen to the blood.
The primary symptom of the disease is shortness of breath, which
gradually gets worse as the disease progresses. In severe cases, the
patient may develop cor pulmonale, an enlargement and strain of the
right side of the heart caused by chronic lung disease. This may
eventually cause right-sided heart failure.
Some patients develop emphysema (a disease in which the tiny air
sacs in the lungs become damaged, leading to shortness of breath,
and respiratory and heart failure) as a complication of black lung
disease. Others develop a severe type of black lung disease called
progressive massive fibrosis, in which damage continues in the upper
parts of the lungs even after exposure to the dust has ended.
Scientists aren't sure what causes this serious complication. Some
think that it may be due to the breathing of a mixture of coal and
silica dust that is found in certain mines. Silica is far more
likely to lead to scarring than coal dust alone. |
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| BLACK LUNG DISEASE RELATED ITEMS |
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