Asbestos is an extremely dangerous substance when the proper precautions are not taken to safeguard against the inhalation or ingestion of dangerous levels of the substance. When these precautions are not taken, several potential medical conditions can arise. The bulk of these are serious cancers.The most common illness associated with asbestos is mesothelioma, a rare and deadly cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Another potentially deadly condition caused by asbestos exposure is asbestosis. While these conditions are entirely different, they share a common cause.
Asbestosis is a build up of scar tissue on the lungs that impedes the expansion and contraction of the lungs. It is considered to be a severe lung disease. Asbestosis is often misdiagnosed as asthma because many of the symptoms are similar, and physicians see a lot more cases of asthma than asbestosis.
The first sign of the illness is a shortness of breath that occurs after physical exertion. Eventually, the shortness of breath occurs even at times of rest. Other symptoms of asbestosis are chest pain and coughing.
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that affects the mesothelium of certain internal organs. The mesothelium consists of two layers of mesothelial cells. Most commonly, it is the lungs that are attacked by cancer; however, other organs such as the stomach, heart and kidneys, may be affected. Symptoms of mesothelioma are similar to that of asbestosis. The lungs have difficulty expanding due to tumors on the lung membrane.
Other symptoms include coughing, chest pain, difficulty sleeping due to the difficulty breathing, weight loss and fluid in the chest. The difference in asbestosis and Mesothelioma is that cancerous cells are causing these symptoms; asbestosis is not a form of cancer.
Source : www.articlecircle.com/health/differences-between-mesothelioma-and-asbestosis.html