In 2012, according to the world health organization, 120 million workers were exposed to asbestos. Often 75-year-olds and older are at the highest risk of death from mesothelioma. The average death rate of mesothelioma annually is 13.8 percent per one million. The highest death rates are among shipbuilders, chemical workers, and industry workers.
The latency period is affected by the intensity and length of the asbestos exposure. If the cancer is formed in the pleura, the latency period can take up to 60 years to develop. the Latency period can affect the type of mesothelioma developed in the body.
Because there is such a large period of time before mesothelioma is caught it is important to recognize if you have been at risk to asbestos exposure. If you have been exposed to asbestos make sure to check up with a doctor often to ensure if you do develop mesothelioma, you catch it at an earlier stage.
Factors of the Latency Period
- Gender
- Age
- Location of Asbestos Fibers
- Physical Heath of the Patient
- Length of Exposure
- Extent of the Exposure
Symptoms of Mesothelioma include:
- Abdominal bloating & pain
- Anemia
- Bowel obstruction
- Blood clotting
- Chest pain
- Chronic dry cough
- Chronic fatigue
- Coughing up blood
- Difficulty breathing
- Difficulty swallowing
- Dyspnea
- Fatigue and weakness
- Fluid build-up in the lungs
- High Fevers
- Nausea
- Neck Swelling
- Shortness of breath
- Tumors around the lungs, abdomen and heart.
- Unexplained weight-loss