Signs and symptoms of Mesothelioma

Even though the disease mesothelioma maybe contracted at a early age, the symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 15 to 45 years after exposure to asbestos. Symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath and the like due to accumulation of fluid in the pleural space are usually the basic pointers that might draw your attention to the devastating disease. If you are suffering from any of these, you would know that there are chances that you are suffering from pleural mesothelioma. Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include swellings in the abdomen region, sudden weight loss, pain due to buildups in the stomach. Also symptoms like bowel obstruction, blood clotting, fever and anaemia are those related to peritoneal mesothelioma. If the mesothelioma has spread from the basic stage to the advanced stages that is to other places of the body other than the place of origin, these symptoms will obviously be aggravated and cause more unrest. The face and the neck may swell up and begin to look deformed as well.

Mesothelioma affecting the pleura will cause signs and symptoms such as chest wall pain, shortness of breath, pleural effusion (a fluid surrounding the lungs), fatigue, blood in the cough or sputum and hoarse coughs. In advances stages or severe cases, the patient may have already developed many tumours. Pneumothorax or a collapse of the lung may also occur in the individual suffering from pleural mesothelioma and may spread to other parts of the body as well. Tumours that affect the stomach do not show symptoms till they have reached one of the later stages from where it is almost impossible to retract. These symptoms would include abdominal pain, abnormal buildup of fluids in the stomach, unwanted masses in the stomach that you might be able to feel from the exterior if it has grown too large, your bowel might cause obstructions and you may also lose a lot of weight suddenly.

However in severe cases of the disease, the following signs and symptoms might also be present – thrombophlebitis which is the result of blood clots in the vein, jaundice which is the yellowing of the eyes and the skin, pleural effusion which is the clogging of fluid between the lungs and the chest, low blood sugar levels, disseminated intravascular coagulation which causes severe bleeding in many body organs, pulmonary emboli which is the clotting of blood in the arteries of the lungs and severe ascites.

Mesothelioma does not necessarily spread to the bone, adrenal glands and brain as pleural tumours are found only on one side of the lungs. Similarly in the other two cases, tumours are limited usually to the abdomen or the chest. However, the point is that tumours in your system are not healthy so you must get them checked and diagnosed the moment you suspect even slight chances of their existence. Mesothelioma is still in its process of being discovered further and all of its symptoms are not yet definitive but here we have discussed the basic ones and you must consult a doctor if you think you need to get checked immediately.