Symptoms of Mesothelioma
One of the biggest reasons why mesothelioma is so lethal is because of the way the symptoms present. First, there may be no symptoms at all for a very long time.
In fact, the disease has a latency period of between 10 and 50 years, meaning that’s how long it can take for symptoms to appear. And when symptoms do appear, they are often similar to more common conditions that aren’t as serious. This leads to frequent misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis.
Mesothelioma is incurable, but with early detection, it may be treatable. Early detection is the only way to improve the prognosis of a mesothelioma patient.
Signs of Mesothelioma
It is critical that you see a doctor if you exhibit the warning signs of potential mesothelioma. Think back on your life – did you work at a job where asbestos exposure was a risk?
These jobs include working in the military, construction work, mining, refineries, and chemical plants. Of course, asbestos exposure is not limited to work. You could have been exposed at home, in an office building or any number of other scenarios.
- Fever and night sweats
- Difficulty breathing
- Difficulty swallowing
- Weakness
- Low oxygen
- Fluid buildup
- Anemia
- Abdominal pain and swelling
- Chest pains
- Fatigue
- Unexplained weight loss
- As you can see, these factors are not unique.
They are symptoms of many other illnesses that are not as serious as cancer. That is part of what makes mesothelioma so hard to detect.
Additional Factors Impacting Symptoms
Your symptoms may be more or less severe depending on several factors related to your asbestos exposure.
- How long you were exposed to asbestos (decades, years, months)
- Your age
- Other factors (how the disease spread, how long it has been latent in your body)
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