A mesothelioma symptom might not appear until between twenty and fifty years prior to the exposure to asbestos, which makes the disease difficult to diagnose or screen for, although there are some screening procedures which show some degree of effectiveness.
The symptoms of the disease might include such things as coughing, swelling and pain of the abdomen, general pain, difficulty swallowing, blood in the fluid coughed up, jaundice, low blood sugar level, bowel obstruction, shortness of breath, pain in the chest, weight loss, blood clotting problems, anemia, fever, and swelling of the neck or face. Different stages of this disease might cause different symptoms. Also there are different symptoms typical for different sub-types of the disease, such as pleural mesothelioma and the less common peritoneal mesothelioma.
However, diagnosis of mesothelioma is often very difficult because any or all these symptoms can be caused by a variety of other less serious medical problems other than mesothelioma. If one has been exposed to asbestos (or other mesothelioma-causing chemicals, asbestos is not the only one), mesothelioma maybe suspected. The patient is usually examined physically first, then chest X-ray and lung function tests. After that, any fluid building up in the chest cavity can be tested, and a biopsy done, which involves taking a small sample of relevant bodily tissue (such as from chest or abdomen) for examination under a microscope by a pathologist.
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer which is relatively rare and is typically found in 1 person per million. This is much less common than for example lung cancer where the incidence in those who smoke is one in a thousand. Smoking on its own does not cause the disease, but smoking can make the disease more likely if there is also exposure to asbestos.
When diagnosed, mesothelioma can be treated by surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, often in a combination. Large legal settlements are often obtained by people with the disease. It is important to remember that what might appear to be a mesothelioma symptom is much more likely to be an indication of a less dangerous problem.
The symptoms of the disease might include such things as coughing, swelling and pain of the abdomen, general pain, difficulty swallowing, blood in the fluid coughed up, jaundice, low blood sugar level, bowel obstruction, shortness of breath, pain in the chest, weight loss, blood clotting problems, anemia, fever, and swelling of the neck or face. Different stages of this disease might cause different symptoms. Also there are different symptoms typical for different sub-types of the disease, such as pleural mesothelioma and the less common peritoneal mesothelioma.
However, diagnosis of mesothelioma is often very difficult because any or all these symptoms can be caused by a variety of other less serious medical problems other than mesothelioma. If one has been exposed to asbestos (or other mesothelioma-causing chemicals, asbestos is not the only one), mesothelioma maybe suspected. The patient is usually examined physically first, then chest X-ray and lung function tests. After that, any fluid building up in the chest cavity can be tested, and a biopsy done, which involves taking a small sample of relevant bodily tissue (such as from chest or abdomen) for examination under a microscope by a pathologist.
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer which is relatively rare and is typically found in 1 person per million. This is much less common than for example lung cancer where the incidence in those who smoke is one in a thousand. Smoking on its own does not cause the disease, but smoking can make the disease more likely if there is also exposure to asbestos.
When diagnosed, mesothelioma can be treated by surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, often in a combination. Large legal settlements are often obtained by people with the disease. It is important to remember that what might appear to be a mesothelioma symptom is much more likely to be an indication of a less dangerous problem.
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