Silicosis life expectancy and treatment
Silicosis life expectancy depends mainly on the stage of the disease when it was found, your age, and your overall health. Some people live 10 to 20 years or longer after a diagnosis, and the outlook is generally better when symptoms do not get worse. There is no cure, but treatment can slow the disease and relieve symptoms. Most people find out they have it at the earliest stage, when survival tends to be longest.
Survival by stage
Doctors sort silicosis into 3 stages, from I (the least scarring) up to III (the most). One big study followed 11,809 patients in Guangdong, China, to see how long people lived after being diagnosed at each stage. These numbers are medians, so half of the people in each group did better and half did worse.
| Stage when found | How many patients were diagnosed at that stage | Median survival afterwards |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 77.8 percent | 27 yrs |
| Stage 2 | no figure given | 20 yrs |
| Stage III | not given in this study | 11 years |
Another source, Lung Cancer Group, says only about 5% of people are diagnosed at stage III.
In the Guangdong study, people diagnosed at later stages had a higher risk of death during follow-up, even after researchers accounted for other factors. An earlier set of data gives shorter spans, roughly 21.5, 15.8, and 6.8 years across stages I, II, and III respectively, so the numbers differ from study to study, as Consumer Notice summarises.
Roughly 1 in 4 patients reached 33 years or more of survival, while older people diagnosed at a late stage may have 5 years or less left, per Lung Cancer Group.
What shapes the outlook?
The biggest factors are how much silica got into your lungs and over what period, whether you are still around the dust, how old you are, and your health in general, says the American Lung Association. A history of smoking is also a known risk factor, and smoking or vaping increases the damage caused by silica.
When symptoms hold steady, the outlook tends to be better. If your breathlessness keeps getting worse, that usually points to growing lung damage, which can bring death sooner.
The outlook is poor if silicosis develops into progressive massive fibrosis. Cleveland Clinic says this raises the chance of lasting breathing trouble and a poorer quality of life.
Silicosis treatment
Nothing can repair the scarring already there, so treatment focuses on slowing the disease and relieving symptoms. The most important step is avoiding any further exposure to silica dust, which often means changing jobs.
Depending on how your breathing is doing, your doctor might suggest:
- A bronchodilator inhaler, which opens up the airways so air flows better
- Steroids, antifibrotics, or biologics, medicines that may help slow inflammation and scarring
- Supplemental oxygen to help get more oxygen into your lungs
- A tuberculosis test, since that illness tends to hit harder in people with silicosis
One antifibrotic, nintedanib (OFEV), has FDA approval for treating pulmonary fibrosis, which is scarring of the lungs, Cleveland Clinic notes. Ask your doctor whether it makes sense for you. New silicosis treatments are being tested in clinical trials, which you can look up on Clinicaltrials.gov.
Avoiding smoking, vaping and tobacco is important because they increase the damage caused by silica and speed up silicosis. Staying clear of other irritants, such as cigarette smoke, does the same kind of good.
Is a lung transplant for silicosis an option?
In serious cases, your doctor might send you to a specialist in lung transplants, as the American Lung Association notes. If you have questions along the way, the American Lung Association runs a free Lung HelpLine at 1-800-LUNG-USA.
About 76% of silicosis patients are still alive 3 years after a lung transplant, according to Lung Cancer Group. In California, more than 70 engineered-stone workers have needed one, Consumer Notice reports.
Getting diagnosed early and keeping up checkups
The research in Guangdong found that catching silicosis early clearly lengthens survival, and its authors pushed for regular early screening using high-resolution CT, a detailed kind of lung scan, plus tighter limits on silica dust in workplaces. People treated early survive an average of 15 years afterwards, per Lung Cancer Group.
If your work involves silica dust, seeing a healthcare provider for regular checkups is advised, along with screenings offered through your employer. In the study, people had typically breathed in the dust for about 13 years before their diagnosis and were around 61 years old when it was found, so silicosis frequently stays hidden for a long time.
Common questions
Can silicosis kill you?
Yes. Out of U.S. men recorded with silicosis from 1968 to 2013, 98% of them died of the disease, based on CDC figures quoted in the Guangdong study. Across the world, deaths from silicosis climbed 20.8% between 1990 and 2019, and cases that move fast are becoming more common in Americans aged 15 to 44.
How quickly does silicosis develop?
That depends on the type. Acute silicosis appears within 5 years, sometimes in just a few months. Accelerated silicosis takes between 5 and 10 years to show up, while chronic silicosis, the form most people get, needs 10 years or longer, per Consumer Notice.
What leads to silicosis?
Inhaling crystalline silica dust, mostly from mining, work in foundries, road building, and construction sites. In the last 5 years, many newer cases involve cutting engineered stone countertops, material that can hold 90% or more silica, per Consumer Notice.