Mesothelioma symptoms might not appear until between 20 and 50 years after the exposure to asbestos. This makes the disease difficult to diagnose or screen for. However there are now some screening procedures which show some degree of effectiveness.

This disease is a type of cancer, but a relatively rare one. For example, for people exposed to smoking, the incidence is about 1 in a thousand, which compares to 1 in a million for mesothelioma. Although smoking does not cause the disease directly, it can increase the risk when combined with asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma symptoms might include such things as shortness of breath, weight loss, bowel obstruction, low blood sugar level, blood clotting problems, anemia, fever, general pain, coughing, pain in the chest, difficulty swallowing, swelling and pain of the abdomen, blood in the fluid coughed up, jaundice, swelling of the neck and/or face. Different stages of the disease can display different symptoms. Different varieties of the disease for example pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma, can also show different symptoms and different staging.

Diagnosis of this disease is not easy at all because all the symptoms can in fact be caused by other medical conditions which are a lot less serious. Asbestos exposure (and exposure to other chemicals which are known to occasionally cause the disease) can suggest that the disease is more likely to occur. A physical examination is usually the first step then if the disease is suspected, a chest X-ray and lung-function tests can give a better idea how likely it is. Diagnosis can sometimes be confirmed by examination of some of the effected tissue or any fluid which has built up in the chest cavity.

Treatments for the disease, once it has been diagnosed might include radiation and chemo therapies as well as surgery. These treatments are often given in combination rather than singly. The amounts of money awarded in mesothelioma claims can be very considerable. What might appear to be a mesothelioma symptom is far more likely to be caused by some much less dangerous medical condition.

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