Which disease is caused by inhalation of silica dust?

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Silica dust exposure triggers silicosis, a fibrotic pneumoconiosis. Inhaled crystalline silica particles deposit in the airways and are taken up by macrophages, but silica is particularly toxic to these cells, provoking inflammatory and fibrogenic signaling that leads to nodular fibrosis, often in the upper lobes, and can progress to extensive fibrosis. Patients may also have an increased risk of tuberculosis and characteristic radiographic findings such as nodules with possible eggshell calcification of hilar lymph nodes. This profile distinguishes it from other inhaled dust diseases: asbestos exposure causes asbestosis with lower-lobe involvement and pleural plaques; coal dust causes coal workers' pneumoconiosis; hypersensitivity pneumonitis is an immune-mediated reaction to organic antigens rather than inorganic silica.