Mesothelioma : A Few Statistical Facts
Every year, around 2000 to 3000 persons are diagnosed with Mesothelioma. Direct asbestos exposure has been discovered as the primary cause of the disease in 70 to 80 percent of the cases. But this cannot be taken as the accurate statistics because people might be silently developing the disease. This is because the disease has a long latency period of 10- 70 years and the symptoms are quite similar to that of the ordinary diseases.
Statistics have shown that the Mesothelioma patients are mostly the male workers. This is because, compared to their female counterparts, the male workers are more exposed to asbestos. It has also been discovered that people falling within the age group of 50 to 70 are most likely to be affected by the disease. This is because, the symptoms of the disease start showing their true nature after a long latency period. But the latest data has even shown the occurrence of this disease with people between the ages of 30 and 40. This data has revealed the existence of some sort of secondary exposure.
Some industries require their workmen to work under an asbestos exposure. In the construction industry, over 1.3 million people are subjected to an asbestos exposure per year. This exposure to asbestos is also common with people working in industries like Railroad, manufacturing and shipyards and even in industries related to automobiles. Surprisingly, high Mesothelioma rates have been found to prevail in seemingly harmless occupations like farming and teaching.
Mesothelioma is a non curable disease. One can expect to live with Mesothelioma for an average period of one year. But early detections along with aggressive therapies can help patients live up to a period of two to five years from the time they were first diagnosed with the disease. US have witnessed the death of 230000 people due to Mesothelioma. It is incurable and on the contrary, it costs a massive amount of $400,000 to $800,000 for its treatment! Net Result- "Death."