[Asbestosis. Apropos of one case].

Having reported a very complete observation of a patient with asbestosis, as well as silicosis, hitherto undiscovered tuberculosis and a pleural mesothelioma, the authors sum up our present knowledge on the consequences of inhaling asbestos dust. Clinical signs are numerous, benign or malignant, the risks of pleural and broncho-pulmonary cancer being greater in people exposed to asbestos. Diagnosis rests mainly on professional anamnesis and on the presence of great quantities of asbestos bodies in the sputum. Any pleural thickening on X ray should always suggest the development of a mesothelioma. As it now gives right to legal compensation, it is recommended to authentify the malignancy of the thickening by surgery.