Mesothelioma Is One Of The Deadliest Diseases Known
Medically, the word Mesothelioma means:
a tumor that is more likely to transform in a fast proliferating cancer which affects the mesothelial cells of an organ, which form the protective thin covering over the organs like heart, lungs and abdomen.
The average life expectancy of a person with Mesothelioma at the time of diagnosis is one year. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for Mesothelioma and it is often considered the worse form of cancer. However, recent studies have suggested that if the disease is diagnosed at a very early stage and aggressively treated, then the life expectancy can be approximately 5 years.
The treatment of this disease is very expensive, often ranging from $400,000 and $800,000 for oxygen, medication, and more.
The main cause of Mesothelioma is prolonged exposure to asbestos. Most of the patients that have been diagnosed with the disease, had acquired the disease cause of prolonged exposure to asbestos. This disease is most often found to affect people who work in construction, factories, shipyards, plants, old schools, and/or on farms.
Direct exposure to loose asbestos fibers can develop the symptoms of Mesothelioma, but the infected cells can remain dormant in the body for a long period of about 15-20 years.
In many cases, the disease is not detected until its already reached the last stage. Thereby, reducing the chances of recovery. It is imperative that people who are most likely to be exposed to asbestos to be tested regularly.
The government has enacted certain policies enabling Mesothelioma patients to file claims/lawsuits for compensation particularily in cases where employers have been negligent and/or have done nothing to protect employees from abestos exposure.
Mesothelioma Symptoms
The general symptoms:
- Weight loss
- Chest pain
- Loss of appetite
- Shortness of breath
- Plain cough
- Cough with blood
Diagnosing Mesothelioma in its initial stages is very difficult because symptoms almost always surface very late and are also common for other diseases too. Most of the symptoms arise in the lungs, where the mesothelial cells covering the lungs and the cavity between them are affected due to prolonged inhalation of asbestos fibers.
One of the main symptoms is a constant pain in the chest which is followed by short breaths and difficult breathing because of accumulation of fluid in the chest, which makes breathing all the more difficult. Some of the other symptoms of the disease include abnormalities in the lungs, which can be diagnosed under proper supervision of the doctor with a chest CT-scan.
The Disease Advances In Four Stages
In the first stage, begins the formation of the tumor in the area of lining of the lung and doesn’t exceed from one side of the lung.
And then in the second stage the tumor extends to other organs in the chest cavity, such as heart.
Then in the third stage its extends to the other abdominal organs affecting all the other organs too.
Finally in the fourth and the last stage the tumor extends to all parts of the body and affects all the parts adversely.
