Misdiagnosed pleural mesothelioma

Consider the scenario of a seventy-year-old man who is a Non smoking and otherwise fairly healthy, the local doctor approached with complaints of persistent cough, tightness in the chest and weight loss. Other symptoms may include difficulty swallowing and loss of appetite. The doctor has ways of diagnosis, but pleural mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that occurs more in the lung lining of the enveloping can not be considered.

There are several reasons.Recognition of pleural mesothelioma as a separate disease began as recently as the 1960s. Currently, only about 3,000 cases are reported annually in the United States. Many physicians may not have seen one such case during their career. The symptoms are similar to many minor ailments. The only general result is that the disease seems more common in the Pacific and mid-Atlantic states. It is also known that the main cause of mesothelioma exposure Asbestos. But how much contact with the material leads to the disease is unclear. Even the family members of asbestos workers are at risk from the dust at home he wears on his body and clothes.

This form of cancer has manifested a long latency period and symptoms only twenty to forty or more years after exposure to asbestos. This makes the possibility of a correct diagnosis.

Once the doctor removes the opportunities for other diseases and has the pleural> Line mesothelioma patients are subjected to the scan, a series of tests and imaging techniques like X-ray and CT. Accumulation of fluid in the thoracic cavity is an indicator, but not conclusive. The confirmation can with a pleura (pleura, the membrane of the lung) biopsy using an electron microscope can be achieved.

Since pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer management, early diagnosis and prompt introduction of appropriate are essential. The possibilitya physician not to diagnose pleural mesothelioma or misdiagnosis to being sued for medical malpractice can not be ruled out completely. But usually the applicable law is asbestos product liability.

It is generally accepted that pleural mesothelioma is a disease diagnosis that is difficult. To the doctor, the patient should inform him at the start of asbestos, if any.

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