What is Mesothelioma 4 Ways it can Affect your Health

Studies show that approximately 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma in the United States every year. The most common type is mesothelioma on the lungs, but it can also form in the lining of the heart or the abdomen.

This number has remained high even if the government has intervened in helping to minimize its effect on people. This is because mesothelioma takes 20 to 50 years to show symptoms and doctors to make a diagnosis.

What is Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is an uncommon form of belligerent cancer that affects the protective lining of the internal organs of the body. The leading risk factor for mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, remotely followed by lifestyle choices and genetic tendency.

Who are most at risk to develop Mesothelioma?

People who worked closely with asbestos or exposed to asbestos particles at an early age are at a high risk. These are people who have worked in mining, where they inhaled or absorbed asbestos dust and fibers in other ways.

People living near naturally occurring asbestos where there is mining, when an asbestos-containing rock is eroded naturally, or when exposed to asbestos-containing soil, has a high risk for mesothelioma.

According to Philadelphia mesothelioma attorneys Cohen Placitella & Roth, exposure to asbestos, and the unfortunate consequences can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time.
How Mesothelioma Affects Health

When work activities agitate asbestos-containing materials and discharge fibers into the air, this can cause health complications for those people who were exposed. Their body struggles to get rid of them, causing inflammation and damage to their chromosomes, ultimately leading to cancer.

Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma usually show up only after about 20 to 50 years after the exposure. They include:

• shortness of breath
• chest wall pain
• fever
• night sweats
• poor appetite
• vomiting
• constipation
• unexplained weight loss

If cancer has spread to other parts of the body, additional symptoms may include:

• fluid in the lungs
• fatigue
• wheezing cough
• hoarseness
• blood in the saliva
• coughing blood
• blood clots in the veins
• serious bleeding in other body organs
• yellowing of the eyes
• low blood sugar level
• blood clots in the lungs

Treatment of Mesothelioma

The outlook for patients diagnosed with mesothelioma is dependent on how early it is detected and how far it has spread.

Mesothelioma symptoms simulate other ailments and show only a long time after exposure, and cancer has usually already spread. It is advisable to go see a doctor as soon as possible about any record of asbestos exposure. This will help direct to an early diagnosis.

Currently, there is no known cure for mesothelioma, but surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy can help to improve the prospect of recovery and even increase one’s longevity.

Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the possibility of recovery from mesothelioma is poor. However, medical research about early detection of mesothelioma and developing treatment possibilities are still ongoing.