4. Pleuritis
Pleuritis is an excessive inflammation of the pleura caused by asbestos fibers. The disease is also known as pleurisy or pleuritic chest pain and it causes severe pain in the chest and shoulder due to inflamed surfaces roughly rubbing against each other. It is often accompanied by pleural effusions and the pain tends to be worse while breathing, coughing or moving. In 10% of the cases of pleuritis, patients end up developing mesothelioma, while in areas less affected by asbestos, the percentage decreases to 3.3.
