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Mesothelioma pleural effusion
By Eden Ali | June 20, 2007
The most common and pronounced symptom of pleural mesothelioma is the pleural effusion, or the accumulation of fluid in the pleura (the pleura that covers the wall of the chest and the diaphragm) and also the visceral pleura (the pleura that covers the lungs). These two membranes are surrounded with mesothelial cells, so that under a healthy conditions, produce a little fluid which functions in lubricating the surfaces between the wall of the chest and the lungs. If there is excessive fluid, it is absorbed by the blood and lymph vessels regulating the balance. Therefore, when there is excessive fluid formation, it result into an effusion.
Types of pleural effusion
In pleural mesothelioma, pleural effusion is divided into two main classification, the transudates and the exudates. A transudate fluid is a clear fluid which is formed not because of a diseased pleural surfaces, but because there is an imbalance between the normal fluid production and elimination of this fluid by the blood and the lymph vessels. The most usual outcome of transudative fluid is usally a congestive heart failure.
An exudate, often times exist as a cloudy fliud and is composed of many cells and proteins, this usually comes as a result of a disease of the pleura itself, and it is usually common in pleural mesothelioma. To ascertain if a fluid is transudative or exudative, a diagnostic thoracentesis, where a needle or catheter is used in obtaining a fluid sample, should be carried out by a mesothelioma doctor.
Symptoms of pleural effusion
As the amount of fluid increases, mesothelioma patients experience breathing difficulty, referred to as dyspnea, and at times pain, ranging from mild to severe, may happen. Some mesothelioma patients may show ad have a dry cough. If a mesothelioma doctor listens to mesothelioma patients’s chest using a stethoscope, the usual sound of breath are muted. The mesothelioma doctor therefore has to carry out some diagnostic test.
Topics: Mesothelioma symptoms |