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I'm 25 Years Old And Currently Living In Taipei, Taiwan.

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Posted on Wed, 17 Apr 2019
Question: I'm 25 years old and currently living in Taipei, Taiwan. Recently I had a chest X-ray as part of my health checkup to apply for my residence card and work permit, and the doctors said I passed, however they gave me a slip of paper that said they found "bilateral pleural thickness with lung fibrotic change". They said this may be caused by overlapping soft tissue/rib shadow, scar from previous infection or others, and suggested I visit a chest clinic 3 months later to see if it changes. I'm not quite sure what this means, and the doctors here don't speak English as a first language, so I'd like to consult a native English speaking doctor so I know exactly what this is, because it sounds concerning. I was hoping you could help elaborate on what this is and what it might mean, because the terms used don't make much sense to me. Thank you.
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Answered by Dr. Shinas Hussain (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
You can go for a HRCT thorax.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for the query.
Pleural thickening is probably be due to old and healed infection like old tuberculosis.
It is usually not an active disease process.
However we have to rule out conditions like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease even though they are rare diseases.
You can go for a HRCT thorax ( High resolution CT) for further assessment.
Consult a pulmonologist and he will direct you accordingly.
Wishing all the best.
Thanks
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana
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Answered by
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Dr. Shinas Hussain

General Surgeon

Practicing since :2015

Answered : 23658 Questions

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I'm 25 Years Old And Currently Living In Taipei, Taiwan.

Brief Answer: You can go for a HRCT thorax. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for the query. Pleural thickening is probably be due to old and healed infection like old tuberculosis. It is usually not an active disease process. However we have to rule out conditions like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease even though they are rare diseases. You can go for a HRCT thorax ( High resolution CT) for further assessment. Consult a pulmonologist and he will direct you accordingly. Wishing all the best. Thanks