Types of radiation sickness. Nutrition in radiation sickness. Radiation sickness - symptoms

Radiation sickness is damage to all cells of the body, which is caused by a high dose of radiation received for short period time.

The amount of radiation absorbed by the body (absorbed dose) determines the severity of radiation sickness.

Radiation sickness begins only after exposure to very powerful sources, which is possible in case of accidents at nuclear facilities, in laboratories, in radioactive waste dumps.

Plain x-rays or computed tomography cannot cause radiation sickness.

Causes of radiation sickness

1. Accident or terrorist act at a nuclear facility - nuclear power plants, nuclear power plants of ships and submarines.

2. Accidents at small nuclear installations, which are available in many research laboratories.

3. The explosion of the so-called "dirty" bomb, containing a charge of conventional explosives and radioactive materials that are sprayed into the atmosphere during the explosion.

4. Explosion of "classic" nuclear bomb, similar to those that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Radiation sickness occurs due to the fact that high-energy radiation destabilizes molecules in living cells, their elements, DNA. This leads to massive cell death, disruption of their reproduction and the emergence of multiple mutations.

The cells of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, as well as hematopoietic cells of the bone marrow, are most susceptible to the action of radiation.

Symptoms of radiation sickness

Diagnostic procedures that are used in the hospital (X-ray, CT) can give the patient a very small dose of radiation - usually less than 0.1 Gy. Signs of radiation sickness usually appear when the body has received a radiation dose of at least 1 Gy. Doses above 6 Gy from whole body irradiation usually result in the death of the patient within 2-15 days.

The first symptoms may appear within a couple of hours after exposure. Most often radiation sickness begins with nausea and vomiting, as well as redness of the skin in the place where the exposure was especially strong. At a sufficiently large absorbed dose, diarrhea, fever, headache, disorientation, etc.

After the first period of the disease, a period of imaginary well-being begins - asymptomatic. After that, new, more serious symptoms- weakness, fatigue, hair loss, hematemesis and stools, drop in blood counts, infections, low blood pressure, etc.

With a very severe degree of exposure (more than 8 Gy), these symptoms develop very quickly, and the patient dies within a few days.

What should be done in case of danger?

Incidents at nuclear facilities in most democracies will no doubt be widely reported in the media. If such an accident happened nearby, you need to turn on all available sources of information and listen to the news. Do not go outside, close all windows. Follow the directions of local authorities and stay calm. If you have been exposed to radiation, then immediately go to the hospital, without waiting for the onset of symptoms of the disease.

Diagnosis of radiation sickness

1. Radiation source: data on the nature of the source, distance to it, exposure time, and others.

2. Type of radiation (alpha, x-ray, gamma). The nature of the disease may depend on the specific type of radiation to which the victim has been exposed. This information determines the next steps.

3. Symptoms of the disease: the timing of the onset of vomiting and other symptoms indicates the extent of the disease. In severe radiation sickness, the symptoms are more severe and develop more rapidly.

4. Blood tests. Frequent tests over several days can help you see how quickly your white blood cells are falling and other changes in your blood.

5. Dosimeter data. This device measures the absorbed dose of radiation. If the victim had an individual dosimeter with him at the time of the accident, this would facilitate diagnosis.

Radiation sickness treatment

Decontamination.

This is the first phase of treatment for radiation sickness, which consists in removing radioactive particles from the surface of the body. Removing clothes and shoes from the victim can remove up to 90% of the radioactive particles. The patient should then be thoroughly washed with soap to cleanse the skin.

Treatment of bone marrow damage.

To mitigate the effects of radiation sickness, modern medicine uses a protein called granulocyte colony stimulating factor. This highly active protein stimulates the growth of white blood cells in the bone marrow. Preparations filgrastim and pegfilgrastim, created on the basis of this protein, increase the level of leukocytes in the patient's blood. This helps fight infections and increases the chances of survival.

With damage to the bone marrow, a transfusion of erythrocyte and platelet mass is also used - blood elements that the patient cannot produce Bone marrow.

Removal of radioactive particles from the body.

Some treatments are aimed at removing radionuclides from the body. This will help prevent long-term consequences.

Preparations for the removal of radioactive particles include:

1. Potassium iodide. It is a compound of non-radioactive iodine. Iodine - an essential substance for work thyroid gland, so the thyroid gland becomes the "destination" of any iodine that enters the body. Treatment with potassium iodide saturates the thyroid gland with iodine, so it does not absorb radioactive iodine from the environment.
2. Prussian blue, or Prussian blue. This dye has the remarkable property of binding radioactive cesium and thallium. These substances are then excreted in the feces.
3. Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA). This substance binds many radioactive metals - americium, plutonium, curium. The radioactive elements are then excreted in the urine, reducing the dose of radiation received.

Supportive care.

With radiation sickness, supportive treatment is aimed at such conditions:

1. Bacterial infections.
2. Fever and headache.
3. Diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
4. Dehydration, etc.

Complications of radiation sickness

Victims of nuclear disasters experience and psychological problems that are associated with experienced fear, the loss of friends and loved ones.

Such people have to live all their lives with the risk of becoming a victim of cancer at any time, as well as with the need to overcome numerous diseases every day.

Konstantin Mokanov

– a complex of general and local reactive change, due to the impact higher doses ionizing radiation on cells, tissues and body environments. Radiation sickness occurs with phenomena of hemorrhagic diathesis, neurological symptoms, hemodynamic disorders, a tendency to infectious complications, gastrointestinal and skin lesions. Diagnosis is based on the results of dosimetric monitoring, characteristic changes in the hemogram, biochemical analyzes blood, myelogram. AT acute stage radiation sickness, detoxification, blood transfusions, antibiotic therapy, symptomatic therapy are carried out.

General information

Radiation sickness - common disease, caused by the influence of radioactive radiation on the body in a range exceeding the maximum allowable doses. It occurs with damage to the hematopoietic, nervous, digestive, skin, endocrine and other systems. Throughout life, a person is constantly exposed to small doses of ionizing radiation emanating from both external (natural and man-made) and internal sources, penetrating into the body during respiration, consumption of water and food and accumulating in tissues. Thus, under normal radiation background taking into account the above factors, the total dose of ionizing radiation usually does not exceed 1-3 mSv (mGy)/year and is considered safe for the population. According to the conclusion of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, if the exposure threshold is exceeded by more than 1.5 Sv / year or a single dose of 0.5 Sv is received, radiation sickness can develop.

Causes of radiation sickness

Radiation injuries can occur as a result of a single (or short-term) exposure to high intensity or prolonged exposure to low doses of radiation. High-intensity damaging effect is typical for man-made disasters in nuclear power, testing or application nuclear weapons, carrying out total irradiation in oncology, hematology, rheumatology, etc. Chronic radiation sickness can develop in medical personnel of departments radiodiagnosis and therapy (radiologists, radiologists), patients undergoing frequent x-ray and radionuclide studies.

The damaging factors can be alpha and beta particles, gamma rays, neutrons, X-rays; possible simultaneous effect. various kinds radiation energy - the so-called mixed irradiation. At the same time, the neutron flux, X-ray and gamma radiation can cause radiation sickness when exposed to external factors, while alpha and beta particles cause damage only when they enter the body through the respiratory or digestive tract, damaged skin and mucous membranes.

Radiation sickness is the result of damaging effects occurring at the molecular and cellular level. As a result of complex biochemical processes in the blood, products of pathological fatty, carbohydrate, nitrogenous, water-salt metabolism causing radiation toxicity. The damaging effects primarily affect actively dividing cells of the bone marrow, lymphoid tissue, and glands. internal secretion, intestinal and skin epithelium, neurons. This causes the development of bone marrow, intestinal, toxemic, hemorrhagic, cerebral and other syndromes that make up the pathogenesis of radiation sickness.

The peculiarity of radiation injury is the absence at the time of direct exposure to thermal, pain and other sensations, the presence latent period preceding the development of a detailed picture of radiation sickness.

Classification

The classification of radiation sickness is based on the criteria for the time of injury and the dose of absorbed radiation. With a single massive exposure to ionizing radiation, acute radiation sickness develops, with prolonged, repeated in relatively small doses, chronic radiation sickness develops. Severity and clinical form acute radiation injury are determined by the radiation dose:

radiation injury occurs with single-stage / short-term exposure to a dose of less than 1 Gy; pathological changes are reversible.

Bone marrow form(typical) develops with single-stage / short-term exposure to a dose of 1-6 Gy. Lethality is 50%. It has four degrees:

• 1 (light) - 1-2 Gy
• 2 (medium) - 2-4 Gy
• 3 (heavy) - 4-6 Gy
• 4 (extremely severe, transitional) - 6-10 Gr

Gastrointestinal form is the result of a single-stage / short-term exposure to a dose of 10-20 Gy. It proceeds with severe enteritis, bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract, fever, infectious and septic complications.

Vascular (toxemic) form Manifests with simultaneous/short-term irradiation with a dose of 20-80 Gy. It is characterized by severe intoxication and hemodynamic disturbances.

cerebral form develops with simultaneous / short-term exposure to a dose of more than 80 Gy. Lethal outcome occurs 1-3 days after irradiation due to cerebral edema.

The course of a typical (bone marrow) form of acute radiation sickness goes through phase IV:

• I- phase of primary general reactivity - develops in the first minutes and hours after radiation exposure. Accompanied by malaise, nausea, vomiting, arterial hypotension, etc.
• II- latent phase - the primary reaction is replaced by an imaginary clinical well-being with an improvement in the subjective state. It starts from 3-4 days and lasts up to 1 month.
• III- phase of extended symptoms of radiation sickness; proceeds with hemorrhagic, anemic, intestinal, infectious and other syndromes.
• IV- recovery phase.

Chronic radiation sickness in its development goes through 3 periods: formation, recovery and consequences (outcomes, complications). The period of formation of pathological changes lasts 1-3 years. In this phase, a characteristic for radiation injury develops clinical syndrome, the severity of which can vary from mild to extremely severe. The recovery period usually begins 1-3 years after a significant decrease in intensity or complete cessation radiation exposure. The outcome of chronic radiation sickness may be recovery, incomplete recovery, stabilization of the changes or their progression.

Symptoms of radiation sickness

Acute radiation sickness

In typical cases, radiation sickness occurs in the bone marrow form. In the first minutes and hours after receiving a high dose of radiation, in the first phase of radiation sickness, the victim develops weakness, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting, dryness or bitterness in the mouth, and headache. With simultaneous exposure to a dose of more than 10 Gy, fever, diarrhea, arterial hypotension with loss of consciousness. From local manifestations transient skin erythema with a bluish tinge may be noted. From the peripheral blood early changes characterized by reactive leukocytosis, which on the second day is replaced by leukopenia and lymphopenia. In the myelogram, the absence of young cell forms is determined.

In the phase of apparent clinical well-being, the signs of the primary reaction disappear, and the victim's well-being improves. However, with an objective diagnosis, the lability of blood pressure and pulse, a decrease in reflexes, impaired coordination, and the appearance of slow rhythms according to EEG are determined. Baldness begins and progresses 12-17 days after radiation injury. Leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, reticulocytopenia increase in the blood. The second phase of acute radiation sickness can last from 2 to 4 weeks. At an irradiation dose of more than 10 Gy, the first phase can immediately pass into the third.

In the expressed phase clinical symptoms acute radiation sickness develop intoxication, hemorrhagic, anemic, infectious, skin, intestinal, neurological syndromes. With the beginning of the third phase of radiation sickness, the condition of the victim worsens. At the same time, weakness, fever, arterial hypotension again increase. Against the background of deep thrombocytopenia, hemorrhagic manifestations develop, including bleeding gums, nosebleeds, gastrointestinal bleeding, hemorrhages in the central nervous system, etc. The result of damage to the mucous membranes is the occurrence of ulcerative necrotic gingivitis, stomatitis, pharyngitis, gastroenteritis. Infectious complications with radiation sickness, most often include tonsillitis, pneumonia, lung abscesses.

With high-dose radiation, radiation dermatitis develops. In this case, on the skin of the neck, elbows, axillary and inguinal region primary erythema is formed, which is replaced by swelling of the skin with the formation of blisters. In favorable cases, radiation dermatitis resolves with the formation of pigmentation, scarring and induration. subcutaneous tissue. With the interest of the vessels, radiation ulcers and skin necrosis occur. Hair loss is common: there is epilation of hair on the head, chest, pubis, loss of eyelashes and eyebrows. In acute radiation sickness, there is a deep inhibition of the function of the endocrine glands, mainly the thyroid gland, gonads, and adrenal glands. AT remote period Radiation sickness marked an increase in the development of thyroid cancer.

The defeat of the gastrointestinal tract can occur in the form of radiation esophagitis, gastritis, enteritis, colitis, hepatitis. There is nausea, vomiting, pain in various departments abdomen, diarrhea, tenesmus, blood in the feces, jaundice. neurological syndrome, accompanying the course of radiation sickness, is manifested by increasing adynamia, meningeal symptoms, confusion, decreased muscle tone, and increased tendon reflexes.

In the recovery phase, the state of health gradually improves, and impaired functions partially normalize, however, anemia and asthenovegetative syndrome persist for a long time in patients. Complications and residual lesions of acute radiation sickness may include the development of cataracts, liver cirrhosis, infertility, neurosis, leukemia, malignant tumors various localizations.

chronic radiation sickness

In the chronic form of radiation sickness, pathological effects unfold more slowly. Leading are neurological, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, metabolic, hematological disorders.

A mild degree of chronic radiation sickness is characterized by nonspecific and functionally reversible changes. Patients feel weakness, decreased performance, headaches, sleep disturbances, instability of the emotional background. Among the permanent signs are loss of appetite, dyspeptic syndrome, chronic gastritis with decreased secretion, biliary dyskinesia . endocrine dysfunction with radiation sickness, it is expressed in a decrease in libido, menstrual irregularities in women, and impotence in men. Hematological changes are unstable and not pronounced. For easy degree of chronic radiation sickness is favorable, recovery without consequences is possible.

At medium degree radiation injury, more pronounced vegetative-vascular disorders and asthenic manifestations are noted. There are dizziness, increased emotional lability and excitability, weakening of memory, attacks of loss of consciousness are possible. Trophic disorders join: alopecia, dermatitis, nail deformities. Cardiovascular disorders represented by a rack arterial hypotension, paroxysmal tachycardia . For the II degree of severity of chronic radiation sickness, hemorrhagic phenomena are characteristic: multiple petechiae and ecchymosis, recurrent nasal and gingival bleeding. Typical hematological changes are leukopenia, thrombocytopenia; in the bone marrow - hypoplasia of all hematopoietic germs. All changes are permanent.

Severe radiation sickness is characterized by dystrophic changes in tissues and organs that are not compensated by the regenerative capabilities of the body. Clinical symptoms are of progressive development, intoxication syndrome and infectious complications, including sepsis, are additionally added. There is a sharp asthenia, persistent headaches, insomnia, multiple hemorrhages and repeated bleeding, loosening and loss of teeth, ulcerative-necrotic changes in mucous membranes, total alopecia. Peripheral blood changes biochemical parameters, bone marrow are deeply expressed. With IV, an extremely severe degree of chronic radiation sickness, the progression of pathological changes occurs steadily and quickly, leading to an inevitable death.

Diagnosis of radiation sickness

The development of radiation sickness can be assumed on the basis of the picture of the primary reaction, the chronology of the development of clinical symptoms. Establishing the fact of radiation damaging effects and dosimetric monitoring data facilitates diagnosis.

The severity and staging of the lesion can be determined by changes in the pattern of peripheral blood. With radiation sickness, there is an increase in leukopenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, reticulocytopenia, and an increase in ESR. When analyzing biochemical parameters in the blood, hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia, and electrolyte disturbances are detected. The myelogram revealed signs of severe hematopoiesis suppression. At favorable course radiation sickness in the recovery phase begins the reverse development of hematological changes.

Of auxiliary importance are other laboratory diagnostic data (microscopy of scrapings of skin and mucous ulcers, blood cultures for sterility), instrumental studies (EEG, electrocardiography, ultrasound of organs abdominal cavity, small pelvis saline, plasma-substituting and saline solutions), forced diuresis. With the phenomena of necrotic enteropathy, hunger is prescribed, parenteral nutrition, treatment of the oral mucosa with antiseptics.

In order to combat hemorrhagic syndrome, blood transfusions of platelet and erythrocyte mass are carried out. With the development of DIC, fresh frozen plasma is transfused,. In order to prevent infectious complications, antibiotic therapy is prescribed. A severe form of radiation sickness, accompanied by bone marrow aplasia, is an indication for bone marrow transplantation. In chronic radiation sickness, therapy is mainly symptomatic.

Forecast and prevention

The prognosis of radiation sickness is directly related to the massiveness of the received dose of radiation and the time of the damaging effect. Patients who survived critical time at 12 weeks after exposure, have a chance of a favorable prognosis. However, even with non-lethal radiation injury victims may subsequently develop hemoblastoses, malignant neoplasms different localization, and various genetic anomalies are detected in the offspring.

In order to prevent radiation sickness, persons in the zone of radio emission must use personal radiation protection and control equipment, radioprotective drugs that reduce the radiosensitivity of the body. Persons in contact with sources of ionizing radiation must undergo periodic medical examinations with obligatory hemogram control.

Such a disease of the body as radiation sickness can occur in people as a result of exposure to a large number of ionizing rays, in which cell structures are damaged in various forms. Today, such diseases are rare because they can develop after a single high dose of radiation. Chronic disease can result from chronic exposure a small amount beam streams. With such exposure, all body systems and internal organs are affected. For this reason, the clinical picture of such an ailment can always differ.

Radiation sickness

This disease develops after exposure to high radioactive radiation from 1 to 10 Gy and above. There are situations when exposure is recorded at received doses of 0.1 to 1 Gy. In such a situation, the body is in the preclinical stage. Radiation sickness can occur in two forms:

1. As a result of the overall relatively uniform exposure to radioactive radiation.
2. After receiving a localized dose of radiation to a specific part of the body or internal organ.

There is also the possibility of a combination and manifestation of a transitional form of the disease in question.

Usually, the acute or chronic form manifests itself depending on the received radiation load. Features of the mechanism of the transition of the disease into an acute or chronic form completely excludes a change in state from one to another. It is known that the acute form always differs from the chronic form in the rate of receiving a dose of radiation in the amount of 1 Gy.

A certain dosage of the received irradiation causes a clinical syndrome of any form. A variety of radiation can also have its own characteristics, since the nature of the damaging effect on the body can vary significantly. Radiation is characterized by increased density ionization and low penetrating power, therefore, the destructive effect of such radiation sources has certain volume limits.

Beta radiation with a low penetrating effect causes damage to tissues precisely at the points of contact with the radiation source. U-radiation contributes to penetrating lesions of the body's cell structure in the distribution area. Neutron radiation can be non-uniform in terms of impact on the structure of cells, since the penetrating power can also differ.

If you receive a dose of radiation of 50-100 Gy, it will be damaged nervous system. This variant of the development of the disease will lead to death in 4-8 days after irradiation.

If you gain radiation of 10-50 Gy, radiation sickness will manifest itself in the form of lesions digestive system resulting in rejection of the intestinal mucosa. Lethal outcome in this situation occurs after 2 weeks.

Under the influence of a lower dose of 1 to 10 Gy, symptoms characteristic of acute form, the main symptom of which is considered to be a hematological syndrome. This condition is accompanied by bleeding and a variety of infectious diseases.

Read more about the causes and degrees of radiation sickness in this article.

Acute form, its symptoms and signs

Most often, radiation sickness develops in the bone marrow form in several stages.

Consider the main symptoms characteristic of the first stage:

• General weakness;
• Vomit;
• Migraine;
• Drowsiness;
• Feeling of bitterness and dryness in the mouth.

When the radiation dosage is more than 10 Gy, the above symptoms may be accompanied by the following:

• Diarrhea;
• arterial hypotension;
• Fever;
• Fainting state.

Against this background, it may appear:

1. Unnatural redness of the skin.
2. Leukocytosis, turning into lymphopenia or leukopenia.

At the second stage, the overall clinical picture improves, however, during the diagnosis, the following features can be observed:

• Instability of heartbeat and indicators blood pressure;
• Poor coordination of movements;
• Deterioration of reflexes;
• The EEG shows slow rhythms;
• Baldness occurs 2 weeks after receiving a dose of radiation;
• Leukopenia and other unnatural blood conditions may worsen.

In a situation where the dose of received radiation is 10 Gy, the first stage can immediately develop into the third.

The patient's condition in the third stage is significantly aggravated. In this case, the symptoms of the first stage can significantly increase. In addition to everything, you can observe the following processes:

• Bleeding in the CNS;
• Damage to the lining of organs in the gastrointestinal tract;
• nosebleed;
• Damage to the oral mucosa;
• skin necrosis;
• Gastroenteritis;
• Stomatitis and pharyngitis may also develop.

The body lacks protection against infections, so it may occur:

• Angina;
• Pneumonia;
• Abscess.

Dermatitis can develop in a situation where the dose of radiation received is very high.

Symptoms of the chronic form

If the chronic form occurs, all symptoms may appear a little more slowly. The main ones include:

• neurological;
• Complications at work endocrine system;
• Metabolic disorders;
• Problems with the digestive system;
• hematological disorders.

With a mild degree, reversible changes appear in the body:

• General weakness;
• Deterioration in performance;
• Migraine;
• sleep problems;
• Poor mental state;
• Appetite worsens all the time;
• Developing dyspeptic syndrome;
• Gastritis with impaired secretion.

Violation of the endocrine system is manifested in this way:

• Libido worsens;
• Men have impotence;
• In women, it manifests itself as untimely menstruation.

Hematological anomalies are unstable and do not have a definite severity.

The chronic form in a mild degree can proceed favorably and is amenable to complete cure without any future consequences.

The average degree is characterized by vegetative-vascular anomalies and various asthenic formations.

Doctors also note:

• dizziness;
• emotional instability;
• memory impairment;
• Periodic loss of consciousness.

In addition to this, the following trophic disorders are observed:

• Rotting nails;
• Dermatitis;
• Alopecia.

Sustained hypotension and tachycardia also develop.

Radiation sickness treatment

After irradiation, it is necessary to provide a person with the following assistance:

• Take off his clothes completely;
• Wash in the shower as soon as possible;
• Conduct an examination of the oral cavity, nose and mucous membranes of the eyes;
• Next, you need to perform a gastric lavage procedure and give the patient an antiemetic medicine.

During treatment, it is necessary to carry out the procedure of anti-shock therapy, give the patient medicines:

• Eliminating problems in the work of the cardiovascular system;
• Contributing to the detoxification of the body;
• Sedative drugs.

The patient needs to take a medication that blocks damage to the gastrointestinal tract.

To cope with the first phase of radiation sickness, you need to use antiemetics. Aminazine and atropine are recommended for use when vomiting cannot be stopped. A dropper with saline should be placed on the patient if he becomes dehydrated.

If the patient has a severe degree, it is imperative to detoxify within the first three days after receiving a dose of radiation.

All kinds of isolators are used to prevent the development of infections. In specially equipped rooms is served:

• Fresh air;
• Necessary medicines and devices;
• Patient care products.

Be sure to treat visible mucous membranes with antiseptics. The work of the intestinal microflora is blocked by antibiotics with the addition of nystatin.

With help antibacterial agents manages to fight off the infection. Medications biological type help fight bacteria. If within two days the effect of antibiotics is not observed, the medicine is replaced and the drug is prescribed, taking into account the tests taken.

Consequences of the disease

The prognosis for the development of radiation sickness in each specific case depends on the dose of radiation received. A favorable outcome can be expected if the patient manages to survive 12 weeks after receiving a dose of radiation.

After irradiation without a lethal outcome, people are diagnosed with various complications, disorders, hemoblastoses, and oncological processes. Loss often occurs reproductive function, and in children born, genetic abnormalities are often observed.

Often exacerbated infectious diseases flow into a chronic form, there are all kinds of infections of blood cells. After receiving a dose of radiation, people may experience vision problems, the lens of the eye becomes cloudy, and the appearance of the vitreous body changes. The so-called dystrophic processes can develop in the body.

In order to protect yourself as much as possible from possible diseases after radiation sickness, you need to contact specialized medical institutions in time. It must be remembered that radiation always hits the weakest points in the body.

- a disease, the occurrence of which occurs as a result of exposure to the human body of ionizing radiation. The symptomatology of the disease depends on the magnitude of the dose of radiation received, its type, on the duration of the radioactive effect on the body, on the distribution of the dose on the human body.

Causes of radiation sickness

The cause of radiation sickness is different types radiation and radioactive substances in the air, in food, and also present in water. The penetration of radioactive substances into the body by inhalation of air, while eating with food, absorption through the skin and eyes, during drug treatment with the help of injections or inhalations can be the basis for the onset of radiation sickness.

Symptoms of radiation sickness

Radiation sickness has certain symptoms, which depend on the degree of the disease, its formation, as well as development and manifests itself in several main phases. The first phase is characterized by the appearance of nausea, possibly bitterness and a feeling of dryness in the mouth. The patient begins to complain of rapidly onset fatigue and drowsiness. This phase is characterized by low blood pressure, in some cases fever, diarrhea, loss of consciousness.

The above symptoms appear when receiving a dose not exceeding 10 Gy. Irradiation passing the threshold of 10 Gy is characterized by reddening of the skin with a bluish tinge on the most affected areas of the body. Radiation sickness in the first phase is also characterized by the following symptoms: change in pulse rate, manifestation of a uniform decrease in muscle tone, trembling of the fingers, narrowing of tendon reflexes.

After receiving irradiation, the symptoms of the primary reaction disappear for about 3-4 days. The second phase of the disease begins, which has a latent (latent) appearance and lasts from two weeks to a month. An improvement in the condition is observed, the deviation of well-being can be determined only by the changed pulse rate and blood pressure. In this phase, there is a violation of coordination during movement, reflexes decrease, involuntary trembling appears eyeballs other neurological disorders are possible.

After a 12-day period with a radiation dose of more than 3 Gy, patients begin progressive alopecia and other manifestations skin lesions. At a dose exceeding 10 Gy, radiation sickness from the first immediately passes into the third phase, which is characterized by a pronounced severe symptoms. The clinical picture shows damage to the circulatory system, development various infections and hemorrhagic syndrome. There is an increase in lethargy, consciousness is darkened, swelling of the brain increases, muscle tone decreases.

Forms of radiation sickness

The occurrence of radiation sickness from the influence of ionizing radiation on the human body with a range of 1 to 10 Gy and more allows us to classify this disease as occurring in a chronic or acute form. The chronic form of radiation sickness develops in the process of long-term continuous or periodic exposure to the body with radioactive doses of 0.1 to 0.5 Gy per day and a total dose of more than 1 Gy.

Degrees of radiation sickness

The acute form of radiation sickness is divided into four degrees of severity:

The first degree (mild) refers to the amount of exposure with a dose of 1-2 Gy, it manifests itself after 2-3 weeks.

The second degree (moderate severity) includes irradiation with a dose of 2-5 Gy, which manifests itself within five days.

The third degree of exposure (severe) includes the received dose in the range of 5-10 Gy, which manifests itself after 10-12 hours.

The fourth (extremely severe) includes a radiation dose of more than 10 Gy, its manifestation is possible half an hour after exposure.

Negative changes in the human body after irradiation depend on the total dose received by him. A dose up to 1 Gy has relatively mild consequences and can be assessed as a disease in a preclinical form. Irradiation with a dose of more than 1 Gy threatens the development of a bone marrow or intestinal form of radiation sickness, which can manifest itself varying degrees gravity. A single exposure to a dose of more than 10 Gy, as a rule, leads to death.

The results of constant or single insignificant exposure after a long period (months or years) may manifest consequences in the form of somatic and stochastic effects. Sexual disorders and immune system, sclerotic changes, radiation cataract, shortened lifespan, genetic abnormalities and teratogenic effects are classified as effects of long-term exposure.

Diagnosis and treatment of the disease are carried out by such doctors as a general practitioner, oncologist and hematologist. The basis of diagnosis is the signs of the clinical type that appeared in the patient after irradiation. The dose received is determined using dosimetric data and by chromosome analysis during the first two days after radioactive exposure. This method allows you to choose the right treatment tactics, see the quantitative parameters of the radioactive effect on tissues and predict the acute form of the disease.

Diagnosis of radiation sickness requires a whole range of studies: specialist advice, laboratory research blood, bone marrow biopsy, overall assessment circulatory system with sodium nucleinate. Patients are prescribed electroencephalography, computed tomography, ultrasound. As additional methods diagnostics, dosimetric tests of blood, feces and urine are carried out. In the presence of all of the above data, the doctor can objectively assess the degree of the disease and prescribe treatment.

Radiation sickness treatment

A person who has received radiation must be treated in a special way: take off all his clothes, quickly wash him in the shower, rinse his mouth, nose and eyes, do a gastric lavage and give him antiemetic. Mandatory in the treatment of this disease is anti-shock therapy, taking cardiovascular, sedative and detoxifying agents. The patient must take drugs that block the symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract.

For the treatment of the first phase of the disease, warning vomiting is also used. If cases of vomiting are indomitable, chlorpromazine and atropine are used. If the patient is dehydrated, saline will be required. A severe degree of radiation sickness in the first three days after exposure requires detoxification therapy. To prevent collapse, doctors prescribe norepinephrine, cardiamine, mezaton, as well as trasylol and contrical.

Various types of isolators are used to prevent internal and external infections. They are supplied with sterile air, all medical materials, care items and food are also sterile. The skin and visible mucous membranes are treated with antiseptics. The activity of the intestinal flora is suppressed by non-absorbable antibiotics (gentamicin, neomycin, ristomycin) with simultaneous reception nystatin.

Infectious complications are treated with high doses antibacterial drugs(ceporin, methicillin, kanamycin), which are administered intravenously. The fight against bacteria can be enhanced with drugs of a biological type and targeted effects (antistaphylococcal plasma, antipseudomonal plasma, hyperimmune plasma). Usually, antibiotics begin to act within two days, if there is no positive result, the antibiotic is changed and another one is prescribed, taking into account bacteriological cultures of sputum, blood, urine, etc.

In severe radiation sickness, when a deep suppression of immunological reactivity is diagnosed and hematopoiesis occurs, doctors recommend bone marrow transplantation. This method has limited opportunities due to the lack of effective measures to overcome the reaction of tissue incompatibility. The bone marrow of the donor is selected taking into account many factors and following the principles established for allomyelotransplantation. The recipient is preliminarily immunosuppressed.

Prevention of radiation sickness

Preventive measures against radiation sickness consist in shielding those parts of the body that are exposed to radiation. Also, drugs are prescribed that reduce the sensitivity of the body to sources of radioactive radiation. Those at risk are offered vitamins B6, C, P and anabolic-type hormonal agents.

The most effective preventive measures are considered to be the use of radioprotectors, which are chemical protective compounds, but have a large number of side effects.

Expert editor: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich| MD general practitioner

Education: Moscow Medical Institute. I. M. Sechenov, specialty - "Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".

Radiation sickness is a disease that occurs due to the effect of ionizing radiation on the human body. The manifestation of symptoms of the disease is determined by the size of the dose of radiation received by a person, its types, the duration of radioactive exposure, as well as the dose distribution on the human body.

In this article, we will consider the degrees of radiation sickness.

Causes of pathology

Radiation sickness occurs due to the influence of radioactive substances that are in the air, in food products, in water, and also due to various types of radiation. Penetrating into the body while inhaling air, eating or by absorption through the eyes and skin, during drug therapy through inhalation or injection. Radioactive substances can be the beginning of the development of radiation sickness. Many people wonder how many degrees radiation sickness has.

Symptoms of radiation sickness

Radiation sickness is characterized by some symptoms, depending on its degree, formation and development. They appear in the form of a series of main phases.

The first phase is the onset of nausea, vomiting, a feeling of dryness and bitterness in the mouth may appear. The patient complains that he quickly gets tired, drowsiness and headache are noted. Also, this phase is characterized by low blood pressure, in some cases, fever, loss of consciousness and diarrhea are possible.

The symptoms listed above occur only when receiving a dose that does not exceed 10 Gy. Irradiation passing such a threshold manifests itself in the form of reddening of the skin with a bluish tinge in those parts of the body that have suffered the most. The degrees of radiation sickness are interrelated.

In addition, the first phase of the disease is characterized by such symptoms as a manifestation of a decrease in muscle tone of a uniform nature, changes in the pulse rate, narrowing of tendon reflexes and trembling of the fingers.

What's next?

After the radiation was received, somewhere on the third or fourth day primary symptoms disappear. After this, the second phase of the disease appears, which has a latent character. It lasts from fourteen days to a month. An improvement in the condition is noted, any deviations can be seen when probing the pulse and readings of blood pressure. During this phase, coordination during movement is disturbed, eyeballs tremble involuntarily, reflexes decrease, and there may also be other defects in the neurological system. It is important for everyone to know the degree of radiation sickness.

After twelve days have passed, and at a radiation dose of more than 3 Gy, patients develop progressive baldness and other symptoms of skin lesions. After the completion of the second phase, only single polychromatophilic normoblasts and mature neutrophils can be detected in the bone marrow.

If the dose exceeds 10 Gy, then radiation sickness immediately passes from the first phase to the third, characterized by symptoms that are clearly expressed. The clinical picture reflects the development of a hemorrhagic syndrome and various infections, damage to the blood system. Lethargy intensifies, consciousness darkens, decreases muscle tone and there is an expansion of cerebral edema.

What are the forms of radiation sickness?

This disease occurs as a result of exposure to the human body of ionizing radiation, which has a range of 1 to 10 Gy or more. It is possible to classify this pathology as occurring in acute or chronic form. Development chronic form occurs during periodic or long-term continuous effects on the body of doses ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 Gy during the day and a total dose of more than 1 Gy.

Degrees of radiation sickness

Radiation sickness of the acute form is divided into four (first) according to severity, it is one whose exposure is 1-2 Gy, manifests itself in two to three weeks. Medium severity(second degree) - exposure, having a dose of 2 to 5 Gy, which manifests itself after ten to twelve hours. Extremely severe (fourth degree) includes a dose of more than 10 Gy, it manifests itself already thirty minutes after exposure.

Negative transformations in the human body after irradiation are determined by the total dose received by it. A dose of up to 1 Gy brings relatively mild consequences to the patient and is regarded as a disease in a preclinical form. If the radiation dose is higher than 1 Gy, then there is a threat of developing an intestinal or bone marrow form of the disease, which can be manifested with varying degrees of severity. If there was an irradiation with a dosage of more than 10 Gy, then, as a rule, everything will end in death.

What are the consequences?

The consequences of a single or constant small exposure after many months or years may be revealed later as stochastic and somatic effects. Long-term consequences are also classified, as follows: defects in the immune and reproductive systems, deviations genetic type and teratogenic effect. We examined the degrees of radiation sickness. But how to identify them?

Diagnosis of the disease

Diagnosis and therapy of radiation sickness is carried out by such doctors as an oncologist, internist and hematologist. It is based on the identification of symptoms of a clinical type that appear in a person after exposure. The dose received by him is revealed thanks to dosimetric data, as well as using chromosomal analysis during the first two days after exposure to radiation. This method makes it possible to choose the correct medical tactics identify quantitative indicators of radioactive effects on tissues and make a prognosis of the disease in an acute form.

Therapy depends on the severity of radiation sickness.

Features of the treatment of radiation sickness

If a person received radiation, then he needs to be treated in the following way: remove all existing clothing, wash in the shower as soon as possible, rinse thoroughly oral cavity, eyes, nose, perform a gastric lavage and give him an antiemetic drug to drink. When treating this disease, it is imperative to take anti-shock measures, give a person detoxification, sedatives and cardiovascular drugs. The patient should also use those drugs that block the symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract.

For the treatment of an acute degree of radiation sickness, the use of drugs that prevent vomiting and stop nausea is required. If vomiting is uncontrollable, it is necessary to use atropine and chlorpromazine. If the patient is dehydrated, saline should be administered. At severe degree disease in the first three days after the radiation received, it is necessary to carry out detoxification treatment. To prevent collapse, experts prescribe cardiamin, contrical, mezaton and trasylol.

Different types of insulators are used to prevent external and internal infections in first-degree radiation sickness. They supply sterile air, care items, food and medical materials are also sterile. The integument of the skin and visible mucous membranes should be treated with an antiseptic. To suppress the activity of the intestinal flora, nonabsorbable antibiotics (ristomycin, neomycin, gentamicin) are used, accompanied by the simultaneous use of nystatin. But it is important to determine what degree of radiation sickness a person has.

Complications infectious nature eliminated through the use of antibacterial drugs in large doses (kanamycin, methicillin, tseporin), administered intravenously. To enhance the fight against bacteria, you can use biological preparations having a directed effect (hyperimmune, antipseudomonal, antistaphylococcal plasma). Most often, the action of antibiotics begins within two days, in the absence of positive result the drug must be changed and another one prescribed, taking into account bacteriological cultures of blood, urine, sputum, etc.

With a severe degree

If a patient has severe radiation sickness with a diagnosis of suppression of immunological reactivity of a deep nature, as well as hematopoietic depression, experts recommend a bone marrow transplant. This method has limited possibilities, since there are no effective measures to help overcome tissue incompatibility reactions. Donor bone marrow is selected on the basis of a large number of factors, the principles that are established for allomyelotransplantation must be followed. It is necessary to pre-treat the recipient with immunosuppression.

We found out how many degrees radiation sickness has.

Preventive actions

Currently, preventive actions in order to avoid radiation sickness are based on shielding the partial nature of some parts of the human body, the use of special preparations, the effect of which helps to reduce the sensitivity of the patient's body to sources of radioactive radiation, as a result of which the impact of various radiochemical reactions slows down quite a lot. In addition, people who are at risk of being affected by this disease are recommended to take vitamins C, P, B6 and anabolic hormonal preparations. Similar preventive measures reduce the sensitivity of the human body to the most effective and widely used prevention of acute radiation sickness is the use of radioprotectors, which act as protective compounds of chemical origin.

Upon contact with contaminated objects, screening of all parts of the body is necessary. In addition, it is imperative to take drugs that can reduce the body's sensitivity to radioactive radiation.

Radiation in a person's home

Very rarely people think about it, but in any apartment or house there is a source of radiation. In especially large quantities, they are found in old rooms in which old things and objects are stored.

For example, old Soviet-era watches can act as a source of radiation. In the state at that time, in the process of making watches and other items, luminous mass based on radium-226 was often used. Although outwardly it was very beautiful, because the arrows could glow in the dark, but at the same time they emitted radiation.

The same applies to wrist watch that were made in the sixties. Most of these were often covered with luminous mass, and the proportion of radiation was determined depending on the strength of their glow.

It can also be radioactive dishes. In the Soviet period, light green glassware was produced. During its manufacture, uranium dioxide was used. In addition, buttons were also made from this element. Another source of radiation can be furniture made from chipboard, as well as other building materials.

Radiation surrounds a person everywhere, and it is simply impossible to isolate oneself completely. However, small doses are not dangerous, while large doses are quite rare.

We examined in the article how many degrees radiation sickness has.