Shaver’s disease
Overview
Main name of condition: Shaver's disease Other names or spellings for Shaver's disease: bauxite pneumoconiosis, aluminium oxide Shaver-Ridell, non-nodular silicosis Shaver's disease: A progressive lung disorder caused by exposure to aluminium oxide which is present in bauxite fumes. The condition involves inflammation and damage to the air sacs in the lungs.
Symptoms
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Shaver's disease includes the 11 symptoms listed below: * Unproductive cough * Expectoration * Breathing difficulty * Anorexia * Asthenia * Retrosternal pain * Cyanosis * Pulmonary rales * Non-nodular lung fibrosis * Bronchiolectasis * Enlarged lymph nodes Note that Shaver's disease symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Shaver's disease signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor. Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms * Anorexia * Breathing difficulty * Cyanosis * Enlarged lymph nodes
Causes
Silicosis results from the inhalation and pulmonary deposition of respirable crystalline silica dust, mostly from quartz. The danger to the worker depends on the concentration of dust in the atmosphere, the percentage of respirable free silica particles in the dust, and the duration of exposure. Respirable particles are less than 10 microns in diameter, but the disease-causing particles deposited in the alveolar space are usually 1 to 3 microns in diameter. Industrial sources of silica in its pure form include the manufacture of ceramics (flint) and building materials (sandstone). It occurs in mixed form in the production of construction materials (cement). It’s found in powder form (silica flour) in paints, porcelain, scouring soaps, and wood fillers as well as in the mining of gold, coal, lead, zinc, and iron. Foundry workers, boiler scalers, and stonecutters are all exposed to silica dust and, therefore, are at high risk for developing silicosis. Nodules result when alveolar macrophages ingest silica particles, which they’re unable to process. As a result, the macrophages die and release proteolytic enzymes into the surrounding tissue. The subsequent inflammation attracts other macrophages and fibroblasts into the region to produce fibrous tissue and wall off the reaction. The resulting nodule has an onionskin appearance when viewed under a microscope. Nodules develop adjacent to terminal and respiratory bronchioles, concentrate in the upper lobes, and are commonly accompanied by bullous changes in both lobes. If the disease process doesn’t progress, minimal physiologic disturbances and no disability occur. Occasionally, however, the fibrotic response accelerates, engulfing and destroying large areas of the lung (progressive massive fibrosis or conglomerate lesions). Fibrosis may continue even after exposure to dust has ended. The incidence of silicosis has decreased since the Occupational Safety and Health Administration instituted regulations requiring the use of protective equipment that limits the amount of silica dust inhaled.
Diagnosis
The signs and symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Shaver's disease. This medical information about signs and symptoms for Shaver's disease has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Shaver's disease signs or Shaver's disease symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Shaver's disease may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Shaver's disease symptoms.
Prognosis
If the disease progresses to the chronic and complicated stage, dyspnea on exertion worsens, and other signs — usually tachypnea and an insidious, dry cough that’s most pronounced in the morning — appear. Progression to the advanced stage causes dyspnea on minimal exertion, worsening cough, and pulmonary hypertension, which in turn leads to right ventricular failure and cor pulmonale. Patients with silicosis have a high incidence of active tuberculosis, which should be considered when evaluating a patient with this disease. Central nervous system changes — confusion, lethargy, and a decrease in the rate and depth of respiration as partial pressure of carbon dioxide increases — also occur in advanced silicosis.