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Pleural
mesothelioma affects the pleural cavity around the
lungs, and is responsible for approximately 75% of all
mesothelioma diagnosed. The second most common type is called
peritoneal mesothelioma and can be found in the tissues in the
abdomen, namely the stomach and intestines, and peritoneal
mesothelioma accounts for about 10-20% of all reported cases.
The rarest form of this disease is called pericardial
mesothelioma, which affects the sac and the lining surrounding
the heart.
Regardless of the area mesothelioma
affects, the disease is fatal. A patient will typically
survive for 1-5 years after diagnosis, but medical technology
is improving rapidly and the length and quality of life is
being extended for those victims of asbestos exposure who have
contracted mesothelioma.
The symptoms of
pleural mesothelioma, include shortness of breath or
a chronic cough, both can be easily confused with allergies or
the common cold. In a large number of cases, mesothelioma is
discovered quite by accident, when patients report other
symptoms that lead to its diagnosis. Other symptoms of pleural
mesothelioma include: constant chest pain, chronic cough that
does not improve with time, coughing up blood, difficulty in
breathing, constant fatigue, lung infection, shortness of
breath, swollen lymph nodes, loss of appetite and weight loss
and wheezing.
The symptoms of peritoneal
mesothelioma include weight loss even thought the
waist may increase in size, swelling in the abdomen caused by
fluid retention or tumor growth, bowel obstruction in the
small or large intestine, anemia and fever.
As with
both pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, the growth of a
pericardial tumor causes the expansion of tissue and allows
fluid to accumulate around the heart. This fluid can interfere
with the functioning of the heart. and the symptoms of
pericardial mesothelioma include severe chest pain,
shortness of breath, heart palpitations, persistent coughing
and extreme fatigue after minimal activity or exertion.
If you feel you may be suffering from the early stages
of this disease, and maybe displaying the symptoms of
mesothelioma, we urge you to seek your doctor's advice as a
matter of urgency. If you are diagnosed to have contracted the
disease, you should also seek the advice of an attorney who
specializes in mesothelioma
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