Symptoms of Mesothelioma

This disease can either be cancerous or non-cancerous. This is a kind of

disease which affects the mesothelium, hence the name Mesothelioma. A tissue lined with mesothelial cells is called as the Mesothelium. This cell is found in many cavities such as abdominal cavity, heart cavity, cheat cavity, and also in the outer surface of many internal organs of human body. Mesothelial cells which is found in each cavity has specific name and they are Peritoneum in the abdominal cavity, Pleura in the chest cavity and Pericardium in the heart cavity.

This tissue serves the purpose of generating a lubricating fluid which makes the organs to move easily. This can be best explained by an example of Pleural Mesothelium. As this is the tissue found in the region of chest cavity this allows the lungs to move freely at the time of breathing. If this functions improperly then breathing will become a difficult task and it will cause some problems.

Types of Mesothelioma cancer and its symptoms:

This cancer comes under the category of Epithelial Mesothelioma. This occurs to people in very rare cases but it is very malignant in nature. This affects the membrane lining of chest cavity, heart cavity, lungs cavity, and abdominal cavity. This Epithelial Mesothelioma cancer is of three types.

• Pleural Mesothelioma
• Peritoneal Mesothelioma
• Pericardial Mesothelioma

Pleural Mesothelioma:

The pleura, a thin membrane, responsible for providing a lubricating fluid which allows the breath to takes place in an easy manner. This cancer affects the pleural membrane and thus makes the breathing so hard and causes some serious problems.

The symptoms of this pleural Mesothelioma are Cough, Sleeping difficulty, Fever, Pain at the side of the chest or the lower back, Pleural effusions (fluid in the chest cavity),  Progressive loss of appetite and weight loss, Dyspnea, Tiredness, Swallowing trouble, Muscle weakness, Sensory loss and  Nausea

Peritoneal Mesothelioma:

This forms a tumor around the regions of abdominal cavity and it occurs very rare in nature. The symptoms of this cancer are Belly Pain, Nausea, Vomiting, Weight loss, Fever, Night sweats, Frequency of urination, Bowel obstruction.

Due to stacking of fluid there may be abdominal pain and swelling this is known as ascites. This is also one of the main symptoms of this disease. The tumors in the abdominal cavity cause increasing pain in that region and the same leads to bowel obstruction.

Pericardial Mesothelioma:

This is the rarest form of Mesothelium cancer which affects the region around the heart. This develops solid masses and fluids around the pericardium. This is one of the serious cancers as it affects the region around the heart but it is very rare in nature. The symptoms of this cancer are Heart palpitations, Chest pains, Shortness of breath, Persistent cough, Loss of weight, and Irregular heartbeat. This pericardial mesothelioma is mainly due to the storage of fluids in the chest cavity. This causes breathing difficulty and breathing shortness.

Even though symptoms are there it is very difficult to identify as it takes 15 to 50 years to develop after the exposure. The symptoms which are more general to this disease are not seen in many cases this makes it very difficult to identify. The symptoms such as chest pain, coughing, damage in lungs, and breathing problems are seen more common among the people affected with any other diseases. This disease could be easily identified if the patient has more exposure to asbestos as that is the main reason for the cause of this cancer. Hence it is necessary to check their work experience to know whether they are exposed to asbestos or not in the past. This makes it easier for the doctors to conform the disease and could take further actions.