Different Types of Mesothelioma

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A lot of jobs, like mining, require the gathering of a fibrous mineral called asbestos. Generally, this substance is used to manufacture common items like roofing tars, gaskets, acoustical ceilings, stage curtains, fire blankets, fire doors for the interiors, and putty, to name a few. It is even utilized to create firefighters’ fireproof clothing. But what one might not realize is the fact that you can actually get stricken by a disease that, if neglected, may lead to death.

Asbestos gets in a person’s body through inhaling. Once these materials lodge into essential organs like the lungs, they are hard to expel since they are too large. Thus, the body develops diseases because of asbestos, and mesothelimia is a perfect example.

Mesothelioma is a malignant cancer that affects vital organs of the body. It was only in recent years that this disease has been subject to serious study. It targets mainly the mesothelium, a protective sac that serve as vital organs’ lining such as in the lungs and heart. If one is struck from mesotheliomia, the cells in these linings become abnormal, and a tumor develops.

Mesothelioma occurs if a person is constantly exposed to asbestos. From there, one may suffer from major forms of mesothelioma. These three do share some common symptoms, although other warning signs are specific to the kind of disease an individual is suffering. The major disadvantage of mesothelimia is that its symptoms do not surface until many hears have passed. This, somehow, makes earlier diagnosis difficult, and worse, treatment may prove to be futile as there’s nothing else medical science can do.

Pleural Mesothelioma

This is the most common type of mesothelioma. Important organs affected are usually the lungs as well as its cavity. Normally, the early signs of pleural mesothelioma start with the fluid buildup between the chest cavity and the lung lining, which is medically termed as pleural effusion. If a person suffers from this sickness, he is likely to have difficulty in swallowing and breathing, persistent coughing, fever, rasping, weight loss, and shortness of breath.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Peritoneal Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer. It generally affects the lining in the abdomen as well as in the stomach. The disease normally begins in the abdominal cavity and then later spreads to other body parts. When the tumor starts growing in the abdomen, a person may experience breathing problems, bowel obstruction, chest pain, loss of appetite, anemia, inability to clot blood, fever, abdominal swelling, vomiting, and nausea.

Pericardial Mesothelioma

Like the Peritoneal Mesothelioma, the Pericardial Mesothelimia is also a unique kind of cancer. It targets the lining of the heart as well as the cavity surrounding the heart. Common symptoms of this disorder are shortness or difficulty in breathing, palpitations, persistent coughing, and chest pain.

Asbestosis

Another variety of asbestos-related illness is known as asbestosis. Asbestosis is an inflammatory health problem that affects parenchymal tissue found in the lungs. It is generally characterized by shortness of breath due to overexposure to asbestos. If a person suffers from asbestosis, most likely than not, he will develop a lung cancer.

It is practically important therefore that a person who is constantly exposed to asbestos must see his or her doctor as often as possible for regular checkup, especially that some of these associated symptoms are also present in common diseases. Families and friends can also help too by encouraging asbestos-exposed relatives to reveal their present medical problems to a doctor. If vital information are not mentioned to the doctor, he might mistaken your illness as ordinary and neglect the possibility that it could have been mesothelioma. Remember that the earlier a person shares his medical problem to a professional, the earlier the necessary treatment is applied. Both the doctor and the patient must establish awareness of mesothelimia in order to save their and other people’s lives in the process.

Recovery, if undergoing treatment, may take a while, but the sufferer can help speed up everything by being in constant communication with the doctor as well as keeping in mind the latter’s instructions and medical prescriptions.