Mesothelioma can be described as a rare type of cancer that is normally diagnosed in people that have previously been exposed to asbestos. Cancerous cells develop within the mesothelium, a protective lining that surrounds many of the body’s internal organs. These cells generally materialise in the lining belonging to the lungs, abdomen, or the sac that encircles the heart.
The typical lifespan of an individual diagnosed with this disease is approximately 4 to 24 months from the time of discovery. Roughly 3,100 people from the US die from mesothelioma each year. People most in danger are those that may have been previously exposed to asbestos dust. These would include ex-steel workers, automobile mechanics, mine workers and armed forces workers, amongst others. Their family may be in danger of contracting the disease, as the asbestos dust from clothing can travel through the air.
Mesothelioma has an especially protracted latency period. This means that the symptoms of this disease might not emerge until 30 to 50 years after the preliminary contact with asbestos dust. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of the disease and affects the region surrounding the lungs. It may cause shortness of breath, chest pains, and also a persistent cough, which in turn may lead to the afflicted person coughing up blood. These common symptoms are a result of the build up of fluid between the lining of the afflicted person’s lung and chest cavity. The disease often starts in the chest area and then spread to other parts of the person’s body. Other symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include weight loss, severe breathing trouble, fever, difficulty swallowing, and swelling of the face and neck areas. It must however be noted that not all people afflicted with the disease experience these symptoms at all, which is part of its danger.
Peritoneal mesothelioma is a lot rarer than pleural mesothelioma, and affects the abdominal area of the body. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include abdominal swelling and pain caused by the build up of fluid within the abdominal cavity, nausea, lack of appetite, and also vomiting. Breathing complications and chest pains could also be present, along with bowel obstruction, anaemia, fever, and blood clotting.
The rarest form of this terrible disease is pericardial mesothelioma, which first develops in the region surrounding the heart. Tumors grow inside the tissues surrounding the heart and spread to other areas of the body from there. Chest pains, a shortness of breath, constant coughing, and uncontrollable shivering are typical symptoms of this type of mesothelioma.
Diagnosing this disease is often extremely difficult, owing to the fact that the symptoms generally connected with mesothelioma are also very similar to the ones from other conditions. The symptoms of this disease generally become more serious when the cancerous tumors enter the advanced stages of development, so anyone that may have been exposed to asbestos at any time in the course of their lives ought to contact their doctor immediately to get checked out. Even when someone has never been exposed directly to asbestos but who may be experiencing any of the abovementioned symptoms, it is advisable that they inform their doctor as soon as possible, as they may have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibres that may have traveled in the air from items like clothing.
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