The Benefits of Student Loan Consolidation

Student loan consolidation can help you eliminate your college debt. Today, with more and more college students forced to take on loans to pay for college, more should consider loan consolidation upon graduation.

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Student loan consolidation provides each graduate with the ability to combine numerous loans into a single loan with one easy payment. This is called loan consolidation and results in lower interest rates and longer repayment periods.

The interest rate for consolidated loans is usually lower than than many of the original loans and allows a more manageable repayment period. This can free up cash flow to focus on leasing that car or apartment after graduation.

There are many providers of loan consolidation and even the federal government can help. Speak with a financial adviser or even your school to see how you might benefit from loan consolidation.

What Causes Pericardial Mesothelioma?

Prolonged exposure to asbestos is - to this day - the only known cause of pericardial mesothelioma as well as the other types of the disease. With mesothelioma, loose asbestos particles are inhaled and gather in or near the internal organs, most often the pleural, which is the lining of the lungs…..

There is no exact answer as to how an individual develops pericardial mesothelioma and how the dangerous asbestos fibers make their way into the pericardium. Researchers theorize that asbestos fibers, once they are broken up into smaller pieces in the lungs, are carried from the lungs into the blood stream. As the fibers are pumped through the heart, they may become lodged in the heart lining. Once lodged in the pericardium, the chronic inflammation process, which leads to the formation of cancerous growths or tumors, is similar to what occurs in the more common pleural mesothelioma.

Symptoms of Pericardial Mesothelioma

As with both the pleura and the peritoneum, the growth of tumors in the pericardial region causes the expansion of tissue and allows fluid to accumulate around the heart The fluid can interfere with the functioning of the heart……. It is this fluid that is responsible for most of the symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma. These symptoms include:

Chest pain, ranging from uncomfortable to severe
Shortness of breath
Heart palpitations
Persistent coughing
Extreme fatigue after minimal activity or exertion
Pericardial mesothelioma resembles the other types of asbestos-caused mesothelioma in that the symptoms are often mistaken for something more common. In this case, heart attack or some other sort of heart disease is suspected, especially when the patient begins complaining of persistent chest pains.

Symptoms can vary with each patient and can be affected by a number of variables, including the location and size of the tumors and the overall health of the patient. The age of the patient may also factor into the equation.

A thorough patient history is the key to the proper diagnosis of the disease. Anyone who worked with asbestos or asbestos-containing products, particularly in shipyards or in the construction field, should always mention their exposure to their doctor. Because this is a rare disease, other diagnoses are usually considered before doctors investigate the possibilities of mesothelioma.

Pericardial Mesothelioma Symptoms

As in the lung, the rapid growth of the cancerous tumors can cause expansion of the tissue and accumulation of fluid. The fluid can interfere with the functioning of the heart and cause chest pain and irregular heartbeat. Patients are typically diagnosed when they complain of chest pain or other heart-related symptoms after even limited exertion…… Shortness of breath and cough are less common symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma cancer. Unlike the lungs, it is less common for other cancers to metastasize to the heart.

Pericardial mesothelioma patients can exhibit all three kinds of mesothelioma cancer cells: epithelioid mesothelioma, sarcomatoid mesothelioma and biphasic mesothelioma. The type of cancer cells can affect the prognosis. It is thought that patients with biphasic mesothelioma cancer cells have a shorter life expectancy.

What Is pericardial mesothelioma?

Pericardial mesothelioma cancer is found in less than 10 percent of mesothelioma patients. While pleural mesothelioma is fairly well understood (inhaled asbestos fibers become imbedded in the lining of the lung and lead to cancerous tumors),….. pericardial mesothelioma is not. Pleural mesothelioma develops because the inhaled asbestos fibers are very durable and cannot be eliminated through the body’s processes. Over time, these fibers cause chronic inflammation that eventually leads to growth of cancerous tumors or, in some cases, asbestos. In contrast, researchers and doctors are unsure how the asbestos fibers become lodged in the heart’s serous lining, or pericardium. One theory holds that asbestos fibers are broken into smaller pieces in the lungs and then carried into the blood stream. From there, proponents of this theory hypothesize, the fibers are pumped through the heart, become lodged in the heart lining, and cause the chronic inflammation that leads to cancerous growths (as with pleural mesothelioma).

For pericardial mesothelioma, it is not clearly understood how the asbestos fibers become lodged in the heart serous lining or pericardium. It is possible that asbestos fibers, after being broken into smaller pieces in the lungs, are carried from the lungs into the blood stream. As the fibers are pumped through the heart, they become lodged in the heart lining. Once lodged in the pericardium, the chronic inflammation process leading to cancerous growths is similar to that occurring in pleural mesothelioma.

Because pericardial mesothelioma is so rare, there is little specific research on this type of mesothelioma. Approximately 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year, and fewer than 200 of them are pericardial mesothelioma.

Student Loan Consolitation. Is It Right For You?

Thinking about simplifying the loan repayment associated with college loans? Then consider utilizing the Federal Direct Loan Program. This program allows you to pay based on your income and offers many more repayment choices than ever before.

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This program also gives you added flexibility, allowing you to change your repayment plan at any time. Monthly statements help you track all of your consolidation information.

Regardless of how many federal student loans you're repaying, you may benefit from consolidating them into a single account. Any borrower with one or more FFEL or Direct student loans, including parents with PLUS Loans, can consolidate these loans into a Direct Loan account.

Here are just some of the benefits associated with loan consolidation.

1. Consolidation loans combine favorable repayment terms, convenience, financial flexibility and competitive interest rates. By giving you the option to repay over a longer period of time, consolidation may cut your monthly payments substantially although extending the years of repayment increases the total amount you will
repay.

2. Interest rates for a Direct Consolidation Loan are variable and adjusted each year The interest rate for student borrowers will never be higher than 8.25 percent; for parents with PLUS loans, never higher than 9 percent.

3. For those individuals who do not have a Direct Loan, they are required to check with a Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program lender for information about consolidation programs and about setting up new repayment terms that are sensitive to your income.

You must consolidate at least one loan made under the Direct Loan or FFEL Programs. This is how the government manages the program and accommodates so many participants. Learn more about this program and start taking control of your repayment options today.