Mesothelioma, which is due to asbestos poisoning takes a very long time to develop in the human body following the initial exposure. Mesothelioma symptoms can masquerade as flu symptoms, heart disease symptoms and pneumonia symptoms, making it all the more difficult to diagnose. In fact, mesothelioma can be latent in the body for between two and five decades. 

Step 1If you are aware of having been exposed to asbestos at any point in your life, even (or perhaps especially) decades before now, you may have gotten asbestos poisoning, and perhaps you may be have contracted mesothelioma as well. Researchers are currently developing medical tests to help them in diagnosing mesothelioma for patients suffering from likely asbestos poisoining prior to the onset of any mesothelioma symptoms, but these tests are still being refined and are not yet available for public use.
Step 2Respiratory mesothelioma symptoms include difficult breathing and shortness of breath, a nagging cough that will not go away with the passage of time, a tight, constricted feeling in the chest and fluid in the chest, abdominal cavity or lungs.

Step 3Additional mesothelioma symptoms include losing a significant amount of weight over a relatively short period of time and/or losing one’s appetite.
Step 4Other mesothelioma symptoms are severe and chronic insomnia, trouble swallowing, and the development of a husky or scratchy sounding voice.

Step 5As you can see, the mesothelioma symptoms described up to this point could describe any number of common medical conditions, such as the flu or pneumonia, which often makes it so difficult for doctors to detect until the disease has reached an advanced stage. 

The presence of different types of mesothelioma symptoms tend to be indicative of one or more of the three different types of mesothelioma: pleural mesothelioma (pleural referring to the cavity containing the lungs), peritoneal mesothelioma (peritoneal referring to the lining around the abdominal cavity) and/or pericardial mesothelioma (pericardial referring to the sac surround the heart). 

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