The symptoms of mesothelioma, as explained in the previous articles, are different across various factors. However, since disease can be quite deadly, being aware of the symptoms at the advance stages of the cancer will save lots of lives. Hereunder are some symptoms related to the advanced stage of the disease.
- Pleural Mesothelioma
- Low oxygen levels (hypoxemia)
- Increased difficulty breathing (dyspnea)
- Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
- Hoarseness
- Spinal cord compression
- Horner’s syndrome
- Night sweats or fever
- Coughing blood (hemoptysis)
- Chest pain
- Persistent coughing
- Fluid build-up in the lining of the lungs (pleural effusion)
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Body aches
- Peritoneal Mesothelioma
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite (anorexia)
- Dramatic, unexplained weight loss
- Fever
- Anemia
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
- Blood clots (thrombosis)
- Painful breathing due to pleural effusion
- Pericardial Mesothelioma
- Palpitations or an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
- Coughing Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
- Chest pain
- Fever
Several Factors Affecting Symptoms of Mesothelioma
Because of the lengthy period of time between exposure to asbestos and the development of the symptoms, and since the overlap between symptoms can be quite large, caused by mesothelioma cancer and some other conditions, this particular cancer is known as one of the hardest diseases to diagnose. A number of influential factors are at play when and how the symptoms of mesothelioma metastasize. Some of the most essential factors constitute a person’s job occupation, the duration of exposure to asbestos, and the kind of asbestos to which they were exposed.
In terms of occupation, people whose the working conditions expose them to significant levels of asbestos are likely to develop symptoms sooner than those that are minimally exposed to asbestos in short period of time. This is going to be coupled with the type of asbestos to which one is exposed. The exposure to crocidolite, which is known as the hazardous type of asbestos, is likely to cause symptoms to manifest sooner than the exposure to the other sorts of asbestos. Another influential factor is the location of mesothelioma, type of cell, and the extent to which the caner has been spread beyond its original location will impact how and when the symptoms will start to occur.
The Details of Mesothelioma Symptoms by Type
The symptoms because of mesothelioma denote a direct result of the location of the tumor and its spreading pattern. The type of mesothelioma, which accounts for 60 to 70 % of all cases, is also another predominant factor. About 80% of patients have known history of the asbestos exposure, and a lot of patients will have no obvious symptoms until the late stage of the disease. The early symptoms may be dull and rather slight when occurring at first, and they are oftentimes ignored and considered to be some other common health issues. For instance, pleural mesothelioma is commonly misdiagnosed as influenza, pneumonia, lung cancer, and even chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is known as COPD.
