Houston Mesothelioma and Asbestosis Claims Attorney

At Richard J. Plezia & Associates in Houston, we represent clients in lawsuits for damages resulting from mesothelioma of the lining of the lung, or pleura, caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that usually develops decades after exposure to asbestos, not uncommonly with lag times of forty years between exposure and diagnosis. If you or someone in your family has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, contact a knowledgeable attorneys at our firm for a free consultation about your legal options.

Pleural mesothelioma, the most common form of the disease, is usually diagnosed too late to give its victims a reasonable chance of treatment and recovery. Few pleural mesothelioma patients survive beyond one year following diagnosis, but some physicians have developed treatment techniques that can extend survival to five years and longer for qualified patients fortunate enough to have been diagnosed at an early stage.

The symptoms of the form of mesothelioma that attacks the lining of the lung are similar to the signs of viral pneumonia–shortness of breath, chest pain, and a dry cough. Some victims show no symptoms at all. The most common symptom that leads to an effective diagnosis of mesothelioma is pleural effusion, or an accumulation of fluid between the two layers of pleural lining that separate the lungs themselves from the chest wall. This can be detected on a chest x-ray or CT scan, but the tumor itself might not appear. The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos fibers in industry, at home or school, or in the environment.

Pleural mesothelioma is a different disease from asbestosis or asbestos-related lung cancer, which itself can spread to the pleura. Similarly, mesothelioma can spread in an advanced stage from the pleura to the lung itself, the heart, or the lymph nodes. Although smoking is a well known risk factor for asbestos-related lung cancer and diseases of many kinds, smoking has little or no effect on the risk of mesothelioma.

About Asbestosis

Asbestosis and mesothelioma are entirely separate diseases–the former is a chronic lung disease characterized by inflammation, scarring, and fibrosis of the lungs themselves, while the latter is cancer of the tissue that lines the lungs (pleura), the heart (pericardium), or the abdominal cavity (peritoneum). What asbestosis shares most with mesothelioma is the common causal factor of exposure to asbestos fibers or particles, usually but not necessarily as an occupational hazard. Asbestosis can spread to the pleura over a period of years, and asbestosis victims are also at increased risk of such deadly diseases as lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma.
For more information visit our site on Mesothelioma and Asbestosis by clicking here.

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We offer free personal injury consultations. We charge you nothing unless your case is won so feel free to call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and let us know how we can help you. You can call us at : 713-800-1151 or fill out a contact form here on our website.