Smoking and Mesothelioma
It has long been known that smoking is harmful to one's health. Smoking causes a sharp increase in cases of mesothelioma lung cancer in smokers. But smokers who had been exposed to asbestos carries higher risk of developing the disease even more serious is that malignant mesothelioma cancer that affects the lining of the lungs (pleural mesothelioma), heart (pericardial mesothelioma), or abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma) and difficult to treat.
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| Smoking and Mesothelioma |
Exposure to asbestos has been identified as the main cause of mesothelioma cancer. This disease occurs when a person inhales asbestos fibers are sharp and then lodged in the lungs. Smoking, according to the Centers for Disease Control can weaken the lungs and decrease the body's ability to eliminate asbestos fibers. Furthermore, cigarette smoke irritates the airways and causes them to produce more mucus which in turn block the airways in removing the fiber.According to various studies that have been done throughout the last two decades, while this smoke alone did not cause mesothelioma. Smokers who are exposed to asbestos at risk about 50 to 84 times more likely to develop lung cancer asbestos. And experts agree the opinion that smokers are at least twice as likely to develop mesothelioma in the body.Mesothelioma risk factor is higher for those who had suffered from a severe disease who have not Asbestosis is a disease associated with asbestos, but still manageable. With smoking one pack a day for patients with asbestosis, the higher the chance of developing aggressive cancer. Therefore, those who have suffered from asbestosis must quit smoking. According to studies conducted by the National Cancer Institute states that stopping smoking can reduce by 50 percent the risk of mesothelioma diagnosed in about five years since quitting smoking. Figures are encouraging for smokers with asbestos disease early.Smokers who have been exposed to asbestos and have not quit smoking, it must be willing to perform a routine medical examination to determine the health of their lungs. Tests to monitor the formation of asbestos cancer mesothelioma, for example such as chest x-ray or pulmonary function test. Moreover, it may also be required simple blood test known as a test �Mesomark the smokers who suffered exposure to asbestos to detect the presence of mesothelioma.
Source:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The health consequences of smoking: a report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: US Department of Health and Human Services, 2004.
