COPD or Asbestosis or ?

Hi,

7 years ago i cut through 15 feet of white cementboard roofing plates. Not knowing at that time what it was I didn't wear the correct facemask. As said 7 years later I have had three heavy inflamation (inflammation) attacks and my heartbeat goes through the roof. Even small efforts are getting very difficult for me. Taking the stairs one level is ok but more is totally out of the question. Just talking and walking get my heartbeat to 120~140bpm.
I'm no smoker and lead a healty life. A few months ago I had my last lungtest and chest x-ray and all was normal. My TLC was 100% following my age and the VC was about 80%. I feel I'm using deeper lungfields then before.
I fear it's going really fast since it's only 7 years later and I really started feeling this 2 years ago.
What is the prognosis if you only had a 4-5 year latencyperiod?

[David Tinkelman, M.D.]

Truly normal pulmonary function testing (PFT), (especially since the results included a normal TLC) and a normal chest X-ray make it highly unlikely, but not impossible, that your problem is caused by asbestos, COPD or lung disease secondary to any other substance that might have harmed your lungs some 7 years ago. Having these “normal” results, however, is good news for you.   In addition there are many forms of pulmonary function testing, from very simple to more extensive, and a wide range of so-called “normal” values.”  Without comparison to PFT results prior to your exposure 7 years ago, it is not possible to know whether you have or have not had an accelerated loss of lung function since then.  The first step would be to confirm with your doctor that these tests, PFT’s and X-ray, were truly completely normal.  If they were at all suspiciously abnormal, further PFT and/or X-ray testing might be indicated.

The two main causes of shortness of breath, with or without a rapid heart beat, are heart disease and lung disease.  If your lungs truly are not diseased, your symptoms could be coming from heart disease and a heart rate of 120-140 with, “..just talking and walking” would be highly suspicious for some type of heart disease.

It appears to me that a physician supervised exercise test, with monitoring of heart and lung function might be the best way to sort things out.  I suggest that you and your doctor request consultation with either a heart specialist or a lung specialist and that you do so without delay, because what you describe suggests that you may be at serious risk from diseased heart and/or lungs..

Without knowledge of the cause, there is no way to speculate on prognosis.

Good luck