Silicosis physical examination

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aparna Vuppala, M.B.B.S. [2]

• Physical examination of the chest in silicosis is often unremarkable, although a variety of abnormal breath sounds, including crackles, rhonchi, and/or wheezes, occur as the disease progress.

• Physical examination of the chest is often unremarkable in simple silicosis, although a variety of abnormal breath sounds, including

• Fine crackles,
• Coarse crackles (often at end inspiration),
• Rhonchi, and/or
• Wheezes, have been reported to occur in approximately 25 percent of affected individuals ^[1].

• Patients with Progressive massive fibrosis frequently have

• Decreased breath sounds.
• Crackles are less common in PMF than in simple silicosis, but other adventitial sounds may be present.
• Look for other associated etiology if

• Digital clubbing
• Signs of chronic respiratory failure and
• cor pulmonale are present.

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