A rare cancer(malignancy) which mostly arises from the cells lining the sacs of our chest( the pleura) or abdomen (the peritoneum) is known as Mesothelioma.

mesothelioma-cancerThe most common of it is the Pleural mesothelioma having symptoms in the chest area whereas the Peritoneal mesothelioma is not that common. Abdomen is the organ that gets affected and this could lead to abdominal swelling, vomiting, nausea, or bowel obstruction. for more asbestos compensation visit mesotheliomamatters
Mesothelioma has two major cell types:

* Epithelial

* Sarcomatoid.

On some occasions we could find both the cells together. In around 15% of the cases sarcomatoid type occurs which is regarded as one of the rarest ones. Mesothelioma in some rare cases could originate from the benign, non-malignant cells which are known as benign mesothelioma. This cann be cured surgically.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma?

The most common complaint a person has is of being short of breadth. Some of them may complain of chest pain. It is surprising that this pain is generally not pleuritic i.e. on deep breathing it does not get worse. The surprising part is that the pleura (outer surface of lungs) are often a part of this disease. Although on most occasions the diseases which involve the pleura have an impact of the pleuritic pain (pain getting worse with deep breathing). It happens on several occasions that the patients may be having no symptoms of the disease though it gets detected on a physical examination or by an abnormal chest X-ray.

With the increase in the impact of the disease the shortness in breathe increases with loss of weight and decreased appetite. The patients can also get sweating at night.
Causes of Mesothelioma?

Due to more of asbestos compensation or people working/worked on jobs where they breathed asbestos. Generally the men who are above the age of 40years get affected with this disease. It also happens to people who unknowingly get exposed to asbestos in their household environment. However the number of cases of mesothelioma has been on a constant decrease since the year 1983.

Therefore in order to stay prevented from mesothelioma it is required that we avoid an environment of asbestos around us.

The human body has 23 pairs of gene groups or chromosomes, out of which 22 are known as autosomes and the remaining pair (called sex chromosomes) is X-Y in males and X-X in females. Autosomes are common to both males and females. Experts have clarified that haemophilia is a submissive condition and a hereditary defect. Haemophilia is a genetic defect that affects the X chromosome. In normal people, if there is a cut on the skin, the blood clots and the wound dries up in some time. Haemophilia represents the failure of the clotting system to completely arrest the flow of blood when the skin is cut. There is no clotting of blood when a haemophilic person is wounded, hence the bleeding is continuous and the person loses a lot of blood.

haemophilia Haemophilia A is the most frequent condition. It is called severe haemophilia. The factor responsible for coagulation of blood is the ‘factor VIII’. This is absent in haemophilic people. There is another less frequent form of haemophilia, called Haemophilia B, caused by the absence of factor IX. The Y chromosome has nothing to do with producing the clotting factor. Hence, males are more likely to suffer from this disorder.

At times, there can be a spontaneous gene mutation. In such cases, families with no prior history of haemophilia might develop the disorder.

What exactly happens during clotting?

For every human, there is a certain clotting factor that stems the bleeding. The body has several proteins (about 12 clotting factors) that are involved with clotting. Normally, the body has quite low levels of these chemicals. But when there is a need (wound) the factors kick into action. They are produced at a greater rate to combat the bleeding and produce the clot. In normal people, as soon as they are wounded, there is a fibrin formation that stops the bleeding. This is formed by the coagulation factor in the blood plasma. This happens not only during external injuries but also internal injuries, like in the brain. But if these coagulation factors are absent, this could mean that the person will continuously bleed when wounded.
Does it mean women are not affected because they have X-X?

haemophilia1If you have observed the pattern, a greater number of males than females are affected by haemophilia. This is because men have only one X chromosome while women have 2. In case one X is affected, they have the other to compensate. But this does not mean that women do not carry the defective gene. Women having the defective X chromosome are called ‘carriers’. They directly do not suffer from the disorder but are likely to pass it on to offspring. If such a woman has a son and a daughter, the boy will be a haemophilic while the girl will again be a carrier.

Can haemophiliacs lead a normal life?

Of course they can! Why, one of the most famous haemophilic patients was Queen Victoria! While haemophilic people did not live long in the earlier days, today there are many support systems to help haemophilic people lead normal lives. Even if you have a haemophilic child, you need not worry about his health and life expectancy. In fact, your child will be like any other normal kid, attending school and participating in activities. While extreme sports like boxing are best avoided, there is no reason why the child cannot participate in other games. Haemophilia does not mean the person is handicapped. Your boy will be healthy.

Most parents fear that something might happen and hence, do not allow the kid to step out of the house. But this is a myth. Of course, accidents can happen, but rarely. This does not justify banning the kid from normal routine. Even the pregnant mother (with defective gene) worries about the baby inside her. The baby is safe because the womb has its own methods of safeguarding the baby. In fact, if the particular X chromosome of the mother (involved in fertilization) is not affected, the baby will not have the disorder! If the baby’s Rh factor is different from its parent, then the baby is usually safe from the disorder.

As for sex life, while haemophilic people feel uncomfortable about having sex, it is not prohibited. There are certain measures to take, advised for carrier girls and haemophilic men.

How do they treat haemophilia?

hrbcIn the recent past, several experiments were carried out to see what could help the clot formation in haemophilic patients. The most common method was to have blood transfusions. Some time later, cryo-precipitation was introduced. Then the experts came up with the idea to extract factor VIII and inject it into human system. While there were developments, there were some scandals as well. In one case, HIV contaminated blood clotting factors were sold and several patients suffered. But today, we have come a long way ahead and have safe, though expensive products to help haemophilic people.

The treatment involves helping the clotting system through an external agent so that the bleeding is arrested. This treatment can be on-demand when there is an injury, or a regular treatment which involves frequent infusions of the clotting factor. Recombinant DNA technique has been used to isolate a healthy factor VIII, put it in a vector and use that to help the body produce clots when necessary. This goes by the brand name ‘Recombinate’.

Doctors advise haemophilic people to lead active lives and exercise regularly to keep their muscles strong and resistant to small injuries.

cataract-surgeryCataracts occur when the natural lens that every human being possesses inside their eye becomes cloudy and unclear.

So of course if this lens becomes unclear to view through, it would also distort vision. This is the problem that a cataract surgery would fix, something that many people over time develop. Although cataracts are developed over a long period of time and they are most usually experienced by people of an older age, there are chances of them developing in a more rapid pace as well.

Even trauma to the eye and eye injuries or even prior surgeries performed on the eye can cause cataracts. However, what you can be rest assured about is that such a cataract surgery is not going to be risky or dangerous. In fact celebrities such as Florence Henderson have taken the initiative to inform older citizens of the country about cataracts which are one of the top reasons for vision problems. With something as simple as a cataract surgery, this problem can be dealt with to a large extent. Over twenty million