Saturday, August 7, 2010

The Dangerous Mesothelioma

By Erin Mullins

Over exposure to asbestos particles would lead to mesothelioma. Unsafe cells are formed in the protective lining that is the covering of our vital organs called mesothelium, in this variety of cancer. This fatal cancer normally affects the pleura, which is the peripheral lining in the lungs and internal chest wall. It may also occur inside the lining of the abdominal cavity referred to as the peritoneum as well as the sac protecting the heart known as the pericardium.

Mainly, people who had worked on jobs where they got exposed to asbestos particles are found to be the victims of mesothelioma. One more possibility is that asbestos dust and fiber should have entered their system by means of some other ways. The fatal disease doesn't even spare the family members of the workers. They also may well get exposed via the particles which are trapped inside workers' hair or cloths. The gravity in the illness is enhanced by the habit of smoking.

Like other types of disease, mesothelioma has its initial symptoms and most often the victims manifest dyspnea, chest pain, high grade fever, weight loss and many more. A lot of a times the disease is detected when the patient goes for the physician for treating some other disorders. If the doctor finds something being suspicious, he advises a biopsy which may confirm the fatal illness.

This disease is really very hard to determine and manage because it's signs are very much similar to other diseases. This might confuse the physician. At the same time, the symptoms appear extremely late after exposure to asbestos. In a lot of cases, the initial symptoms appear as late as five decades. Both the conditions negatively affect the chances for a cure.

Mesothelioma isn't just an ordinary type of disease that's why it should be managed seriously. The stage from the disease, location from the cancer, overall health and age of the patient are some of the determining elements. The conventional treatment options available are radiation, chemotherapy and surgery, though a combination of these would be done by the doctors as per the requirement.

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