Unfortunately, victims of asbestos exposure often suffer from more than one disease at the same time. There are many reasons for which this is so common among people with a history of asbestos exposure.
One key aspect in the development of a second disease in a person who was exposed to asbestos is the ability of asbestos fibers to travel through the body and eventually reach various other tissues and organs.
Because they are very small, asbestos fibers can infiltrate the bloodstream or the lymphatic system, which will result in their inevitable attachment to other tissues or organs. For instance, a person with lung cancer that developed as a result of asbestos exposure can come to struggle with gastrointestinal cancer over the years as well.
However, the ability of asbestos fibers to travel is not the only reason why victims of asbestos exposure often end up with multiple diagnoses. Because cancer that stems from asbestos exposure is often very aggressive, it spreads rapidly to adjacent tissues and organs, a process that is medically known as metastasis. Accordingly, if someone who was exposed to asbestos struggles with lung cancer, they may also develop liver cancer or brain cancer.
Furthermore, because victims of asbestos exposure usually find out about their diseases when they are in late stages, as well as because they are often misdiagnosed, their chances of having another disease occurring in their bodies increase considerably.
It is worthy of note that people with a history of asbestos exposure may struggle with multiple diseases that affect the lungs at the same time, such as asbestosis and lung cancer. It is not uncommon for asbestosis to lead to the development of lung cancer within several years, as the disease greatly damages the lungs.
Consequently, victims of asbestos exposure who have asbestosis need to pay close attention to their health and undergo periodical screenings to make sure they have not developed a malignant disease in the meantime. To make matters worse, the symptoms of asbestosis and lung cancer are quite similar, including a persistent cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, night sweats, loss of appetite, and difficulty breathing.
The good news is that people who were exposed to asbestos and developed multiple diseases will have their claims filed for each diagnosis they were assigned so that they can benefit from the maximum compensation they are eligible for. Thereby, as a victim of asbestos exposure, you will receive financial compensation for each of your diagnoses from asbestos trust funds, the companies that exposed you to asbestos but are still in business, and the VA, if you are a veteran.
Nonetheless, it is important to remember that only by working with a lawyer whose primary area of practice is toxic exposure you will recover the compensation you truly deserve for your suffering, as filing your asbestos claim on your own will fail to bring you any money.
There are numerous co-occurring diseases related to asbestos exposure and the following are only some examples, as any combination is possible in a person whose health was affected by asbestos exposure:
In the regrettable case you received one or multiple diagnoses related to asbestos exposure, we strongly advise you to contact the team of professionals at Atraxia Law, who will carefully assess your asbestos claim eligibility. We will thoroughly evaluate your situation and eventually let you know with certainty whether you qualify to seek financial compensation.
Our expert team has been evaluating personal injury and product liability claims for over 35 years and it is ready to provide you with quality assistance if you were injured by asbestos exposure. We help people who were exposed to asbestos in the workplace, in the military, secondarily, as well as the surviving family members of asbestos victims.
The only documents we will need to assess your eligibility are your employment or military records and your medical records. After a thorough evaluation, you will find out whether you can proceed with the legal process of seeking financial compensation for your diseases caused by asbestos exposure. We are here to make the next steps of the legal process as easy as possible for you if you were exposed to asbestos.