Pneumoconiosis is characterized by a history of occupational exposure, symptoms mainly manifested as cough, sputum, chest pain and dyspnea, chest radiographs mostly show small rounded shadows and reticular shadows, and the disease is slow and long term in progression.
Patients with pneumoconiosis have an obvious history of dust exposure, which leads to diffuse nodular or lattice-like interstitial fibrosis due to long-term inhalation of inorganic mineral dust in the occupational environment.
Long-term inhalation of a large number of tiny particles leads to the occurrence of chronic inflammation of the lungs, and affects the gas exchange of the lungs and coughing, coughing up sputum. Prolonged coughing and sputum will damage the lung tissue and cause chest pain, but the chest pain varies in location. And the disease with the aggravation of lung tissue fibrosis, will affect the respiratory function of the lungs, so that the effective respiratory area is reduced, ventilation and blood flow of the ratio of imbalance and dyspnea.
Exposure to occupational dust can lead to small round shadows in the upper lung fields of the right and left lungs on chest radiographs, which are basically symmetrical on both sides, with a more pronounced appearance on the outer side. As the disease progresses, the small shadows in the lungs will increase in number and become larger, and some of them may appear as grid-like streaks.
The course of pneumoconiosis is relatively long, even if the patient is not exposed to dust environment, his condition will still develop and aggravate to jeopardize human health, it is recommended that the relevant personnel to do occupational protection, regular hospital follow-up.