Pleural plaques, asbestos exposure causing

The clinical significance of pleural plaques is their importance as a marker of asbestos exposure in individuals or populations. Asbestos exposure is indeed the far most important if not the sole cause of typical plaques. Their presence indicates a potential risk of developing a more severe asbestos-related disease but otherwise has no clinical impact, except the psychological consequences of fearing such diseases (Hillerdal 1987 Sison et al. 1989). However, a pleural plaque is not a premalignant lesion and does not evolve in mesothelioma. 

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