Asbestosis is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Asbestosis, or a subtype of Asbestosis, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Ophanet, who are a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when if affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Asbestosis as a "rare disease". More information about Asbestosis is available from Orphanet
The following statistics relate to deaths and Asbestosis:
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Asbestosis results from the inhalation of respirable asbestos fibers (50 microns or more in length and 0.5 microns or less in diameter), which assume a longitudinal orientation in the airway and move in the direction of airflow. The fibers penetrate respiratory bronchioles and alveolar walls. Sources include the mining and milling of asbestos, the construction industry, and the fireproofing and textile industries. Asbestos was also used in the production of paints, plastics, and brake and clutch linings.
Asbestos-related diseases develop in families of asbestos workers as a result of exposure to fibrous dust shaken off workers’clothing at home. Such diseases develop in the general public as a result of exposure to fibrous dust or waste piles from nearby asbestos plants, but exposures for occupants of typical buildings are quite low and not in a range associated with asbestosis.
Inhaled fibers become encased in a brown, proteinlike sheath rich in iron (ferruginous bodies or asbestos bodies), found in sputum and lung tissue. Interstitial fibrosis develops in lower lung zones, causing obliterative changes in lung parenchyma and pleurae. Raised hyaline plaques may form in parietal pleura, diaphragm, and pleura contiguous with the pericardium.
Asbestosis occurs in 4 of every 10,000 people.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
The term 'prevalence' of Asbestosis usually refers to the estimated population of people who are managing Asbestosis at any given time. The term 'incidence' of Asbestosis refers to the annual diagnosis rate, or the number of new cases of Asbestosis diagnosed each year. Hence, these two statistics types can differ: a short-lived disease like flu can have high annual incidence but low prevalence, but a life-long disease like diabetes has a low annual incidence but high prevalence. For more information see about prevalence and incidence statistics.
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