Thursday, January 22, 2009

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.

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