Pericardial Mesothelioma

In the past, many building materials contained different fibres, all forms of asbestos. These fibres over time showed that when they were inhaled, they would in fact cause a variety of ailments, many often fatal. The severity of the illness depended upon the amount of time the person was exposed to the asbestos fibres. One ailment is known as mesothelioma, which can have different forms. Generally mesothelioma is cancer of the lining of various organs in the body. One form of mesothelioma is pericardial mesothelioma which is a cancer of the lining surrounding the heart.

Like most asbestos related problems, pericardial mesothelioma lies dormant for years and slowly develops. This form of mesothelioma strikes 10% of the patients who have mesothelioma.

A person with pericardial mesothelioma may suffer chest pains or other similar heart related problems such as heart murmurs, breathing difficulties even without any sort of exertion and coughing. The person afflicted with pericardial mesothelioma may also have fatigue, night sweats and fever. Given these symptoms, it may be difficult for your doctor to diagnose pericardial mesothelioma initially. However, with a thorough physical examination complete with an MRI, your doctor may notice cancerous tumors on the heart lining that cause the tissue to swell and fluid to accumulate. These fluids cause the heart of operate incorrectly. The heartbeat can also become irregular.

Once your doctor discovers the tumours in the MRI, further testing can be conducted to determine whether or not the tumors are in fact pericardial mesothelioma. This final diagnosis would occur by biopsying the tissue.

After a person has been diagnosed with this terrible condition, there is little hope for a full recovery - although there is the chance to make a mesothelioma claim. Typically, most of the treatment would involve alleviating symptoms and pain the patient may be feeling. This treatment could include draining the fluid that accumulates around the heart. This in turn will alleviate some of the symptoms and pain. Radiation can be used in an attempt to decrease the size of the tumours. However this procedure is quite dangerous and is not used very much.

If you find yourself or a loved one being diagnosed with pericardial mesothelioma and there was some confirmed or even suspected exposure of asbestos, it is advisable to seek the services of a solicitor as you may be entitled to asbestos compensation.