Silicosis Symptom

Symptoms and Types of Silicosis

Silicosis Symptom

The silicosis symptom include:
Tachypnea or shortness of breath after physical exertion
Dry or severe cough, often persistent and accompanied by hoarseness of the throat
Fatigue or tiredness
Changes in breathing pattern (rapid breathing or shallow breathing)
Loss of appetite
Chest pain
Fever

In advanced cases, the following may also occur:
Cyanosis
Cor pulmonale
Respiratory insufficiency
Patients with silicosis are particularly susceptible to tuberculosis (TB) infection.

Types of Silicosis

Classification of silicosis is made according to the disease's severity, onset, and rapidity of progression. These include:

Chronic silicosis
A form of the disease that develop after 20 years or longer of exposure to low levels of silica dust. Chronic silicosis itself is further subdivided into simple and complicated silicoses. This is the most common type of silicosis.

Asymptomatic silicosis
Early cases of the disease do not present any symptoms

Acute silicosis
Silicosis that develops after 1 to 3 years of exposure to very high concentration of silica dust.

Accelerated silicosis
Silicosis that develops after an average of 10 years of exposure to high concentration of silica dust.