Sunday, 18 October 2009

A mesothelioma patient may not demonstrate symptoms for decades

A mesothelioma patient may not demonstrate symptoms for decades as the latency period associated with the cancer is generally 20 to 50 years. According to most experts, in the case of mesothelioma the latency period ranges from 20 to 50 years after initial exposure to asbestos occurred. Contracting an asbestos disease depends upon a variety of exposure risk factors. Some jobs pose greater asbestos dangers due to asbestos exposure. Your chance of getting an asbestos–related disease depends on certain conditions called risk factors.

All of the asbestos diseases have a latency period. The latency period is the gap between the time you breathe asbestos and the time you start to feel sick. The latency period for asbestos diseases is between 10 to 40 years. You will not feel sick during the latency period. Currently, the average survival period for a patient diagnosed with mesothelioma is about one year. That is an average, however, that is impacted by three other important statistics. The latency period for mesothelioma can be anywhere from twenty to fifty years.