General symptoms of mesothelioma can occur 30 or 40 years after exposure to asbestos, this being one of the main problems when identifying the origin of symptoms. Thus, if they occur and there is also a suspicion of previous asbestos exposure, is important to consult a specialist for proper diagnosis.

The first symptoms of mesothelioma are non-specific nature, even being common to other diseases and therefore difficult to diagnose. Common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include: dyspnea, chest pain, persistent cough and sometimes lower back pain. In peritoneal mesothelioma, 9 times less frequent than the previous one, the most common symptoms are abdominal pain, bloating, nausea or vomiting, bowel obstruction and weight loss.

General symptoms of mesothelioma

Pleural

Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma may include: trouble breathing (shortness of breath, wheezing, or hoarseness, raspy voice) that increase as the disease progresses (especially during heavy work or exercise), chest pains, lower back or ribs, fluid accumulation in the tissue lining the lungs, persistent cough that gets worse over time and blood in the phlegm from the lungs by coughing, swelling of face, neck or arms, difficulty swallowing, fatigue, anemia , muscle weakness, paralysis and sensory loss.

Peritoneal

Symptoms may include gastrointestinal disturbances, obstruction instestinal, swelling in the abdomen, stomach pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, anemia, nausea, vomiting, hernia, abdominal cavity fluid and swelling of the feet.

The Pericardium

Symptoms may include chest pain and breathing problems (shortness of breath, wheezing or hoarseness), palpitations, persistent cough that gets worse over time, lack of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, anemia, nausea, vomiting. The tumor and / or fluid that collects between the heart and the sac can compress the heart, causing these symptoms.

Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer caused by asbestos exposure, which usually affects the lining of the chest or abdomen. An important feature of mesothelioma is a cancer that occurs many years after asbestos exposure has occurred (30 to 40 years of latency), this is unlike what happens with asbestosis or other diseases that eventually may increase incidence due to the presence of asbestos, such as stomach, intestine, esophagus, pancreas and kidney cancer.

Even before 1960, mesothelioma was considered a rare disease, since then its incidence has been steadily increasing, it started with the workers in the asbestos mines in South Africa, having confirmed this fact steadily in all parts of the world thorugh epidemiological studies linking mesothelioma with the presence of asbestos as a building material or from multiple industrial sectors, like in iron and steel industry, electrical, chemical, automotive, marine, aviation and textile. Therefore, in most developed countries they have established legislation to ban asbestos, or at least severe restrictions on its use.

The disease directly affects the mesothelium, a protective capsule that covers and protects most organs of our body, acquiring different names depending on the specific organ.

In a cancer of mesothelial cells increase with no limit, not been able to stop the production of the fluid when there is enough already. As a result of this, the end organs form a mass layer of tumor content and accumulation of fluid. In addition, this cells can get more massive and eventually attack more organs, or move along to other parts of the human body (
called metastasis).

Currently the incidence of this cancer is increasing because workers have a longer life expectancy, situation that did happened because they died before asbestosis. It is estimated that in Western Europe will be about 250,000 new cases diagnosed in the period from 2000 to 2030, and the United States the incidence is in two cases each with 100,000 habitants.

When the diagnosis is made, especially in advanced stages of the disease, its course is rapid and invariably fatal, usually within the next two years. Thus, early diagnosis and treatment, as well as all types of cancer or other asbestos-related diseases like asbestosis, can enhance the quality of life and survival of the individual.