Chalicosis is a form of

pneumoconiosis Pneumoconiosis is the general term for a class of interstitial lung disease where inhalation of dust (for example, ash dust, lead particles, pollen grains etc) has caused interstitial fibrosis. The three most common types are asbestosis, silico ...

affecting the lungs or

bronchiole The bronchioles ( ) are the smaller branches of the bronchial airways in the lower respiratory tract. They include the terminal bronchioles, and finally the respiratory bronchioles that mark the start of the respiratory zone delivering air to ...

s, found mainly among stonecutters. The disease is caused by the inhalation of fine particles of stone. The term is from Greek, χάλιξ, gravel.

Risk factors

Occupations with significant exposure to stone dust are at an increased risk of chalicosis include: * Millers *

Miners A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face (mining), face; cutt ...

* Stone cutters and stone masons *

Quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

workers *

Pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

and porcelain casters * Tunneller/tunnel workers *

Foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

workers *

Plasterers Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for Molding (decorative), moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of ...

Carpenters Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters trad ...

Signs and symptoms

Signs and symptoms of chalicosis are slow to develop and thus patients may not show signs of incapacity until years after exposure. It may even take up to 10 years before manifestations of the disorder are present. Signs and symptoms include: *

Dyspnea Shortness of breath (SOB), known as dyspnea (in AmE) or dyspnoea (in BrE), is an uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathe well enough. The American Thoracic Society defines it as "a subjective experience of breathing discomfort that ...

(uncomfortable breathing sensation/shortness of breath) aggravated by exertion * Chronic, non-productive cough * Expelled matter, such as

phlegm Phlegm (; , ''phlégma'', "inflammation", "humour caused by heat") is mucus produced by the respiratory system, excluding that produced by the throat nasal passages. It often refers to respiratory mucus expelled by coughing, otherwise known as ...

, from the throat or lungs stained gray, black, or red *

Wheezing A wheeze is a clinical symptom of a continuous, coarse, whistling sound produced in the respiratory airways during breathing. For wheezes to occur, part of the respiratory tree must be narrowed or obstructed (for example narrowing of the lower ...

* Loss of appetite *

Fatigue Fatigue is a state of tiredness (which is not sleepiness), exhaustion or loss of energy. It is a signs and symptoms, symptom of any of various diseases; it is not a disease in itself. Fatigue (in the medical sense) is sometimes associated wit ...

Emaciation Emaciation is defined as the state of extreme thinness from absence of body fat and muscle wasting usually resulting from malnutrition. It is often seen as the opposite of obesity. Characteristics Emaciation manifests physically as thin limbs, pr ...

* Soreness in stomach region * General

malaise In medicine, malaise is a feeling of general discomfort, uneasiness or lack of wellbeing and often the first sign of an infection or other disease. It is considered a vague termdescribing the state of simply not feeling well. The word has exist ...

Treatment and Prevention

There is no definitive cure for chalicosis, nor is there a specific targeted therapy. Current treatment of this lung disorder primarily involves managing respiratory symptoms, associated comorbidities, and complications, with the overarching goal of enhancing the patient's quality of life. These include:

Acute pharmacotherapies

Corticosteroids Corticosteroids are a class of steroid hormones that are produced in the adrenal cortex of vertebrates, as well as the synthetic analogues of these hormones. Two main classes of corticosteroids, glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids, are invol ...

are a class of steroid hormones that can be used for acute management of chalicotic symptoms.They are not recommended for chronic management.

Chronic pharmacotherapies

* Whole lung lavage uses saline solution to wash out lodged particles in the lungs. *

Bronchodilators A bronchodilator or broncholytic (although the latter occasionally includes secretory inhibition as well) is a substance that dilates the bronchi and bronchioles, decreasing resistance in the respiratory airway and increasing airflow to the lung ...

dilate the bronchi and bronchioles to increase airflow to the lungs. *

Oxygen therapy Oxygen therapy, also referred to as supplemental oxygen, is the use of oxygen as medical treatment. Supplemental oxygen can also refer to the use of oxygen enriched air at altitude. Acute indications for therapy include hypoxemia (low blood o ...

or supplemental oxygen is a medical treatment that provides extra oxygen, often to prevent complications of chronic hypoxemia. *

Pulmonary rehabilitation Pulmonary rehabilitation, also known as respiratory rehabilitation, is an important part of the management and health maintenance of people with chronic respiratory disease who remain symptomatic or continue to have decreased function despite stan ...

is a therapeutic concept which utilizes a series of services to aid improved breathing. * Antifibrotics. * Smoking cessation. *

Lung transplantation Lung transplantation, or pulmonary transplantation, is a surgical procedure in which one or both lungs are replaced by lungs from a donor. Donor lungs can be retrieved from a living or deceased donor. A living donor can only donate one lung lobe ...

is a last resort in which one lung, both, or damaged lung tissue are replaced with a donor during a surgical procedure.

References

External links

{{Occupational safety and health Lung disorders Occupational diseases