Radiation and non cancer outcomes

[epirad@mchsi.com]

This is an interesting paper concenring radiation exposure and possible non 

cancer outcomes.  



Bill Field

bill-field@uiowa.edu





International Journal of Radiation Biology  

   Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Health Sciences, part of the Taylor & Francis 

Group  

   Issue:   Volume 79, Number 2/February 2003  

   Pages:   129 - 136  

   URL:    http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/link.asp?id=47rjtqqhhjbe872p  



Radiation dose-dependent increases in inflammatory response markers in A-bomb 

survivors 



T. Hayashi A1, Y. Kusunoki A1, M. Hakoda A2, Y. Morishita A1, Y. Kubo A1, M. 

Maki A1, F. Kasagi A3, K. Kodama A2, D. G. Macphee A1, S. Kyoizumi A1 



A1 Departments of Radiobiology, Radiation Effects Research Foundation, 5-2 

Hijiyama Park, Minami Ward, Hiroshima 732-0815 Japan

A2 Departments of Clinical Studies, Radiation Effects Research Foundation, 5-2 

Hijiyama Park, Minami Ward, Hiroshima 732-0815 Japan

A3 Departments Statistics, Radiation Effects Research Foundation, 5-2 Hijiyama 

Park, Minami Ward, Hiroshima 732-0815 Japan





Abstract: 





Purpose: The well-documented increases in malignant tumours in the A-bomb 

survivors have recently been supplemented by reports that non-cancer diseases, 

including cardiovascular disease, may also have increased in incidence with 

increasing radiation dose. Given that low-level inflammatory responses are 

widely accepted as a significant risk factor for such diseases, we undertook a 

detailed investigation of the long-term effects of ionizing radiation on the 

levels of the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 

(IL-6) in A-bomb survivors.



Materials and methods: Blood samples were taken from 453 participants in a 

long-term epidemiological cohort of A-bomb survivors. Plasma levels of CRP and 

IL-6 were measured using standard antibody-mediated procedures. Relationships 

between CRP or IL-6 levels and radiation dose were then investigated by 

multivariate regression analysis. Blood lymphocytes from each individual were 

used for immunophenotyping by flow cytometry with murine monoclonal antibodies 

to CD3, CD4 and CD8.



Results: CRP levels were significantly increased by about 31% Gym1 of 

estimated A-bomb radiation (p=0.0001). Higher CRP levels also correlated with 

age, male gender, body mass index and a history of myocardial infarction. 

After adjustments for these factors, CRP levels still appeared to have 

increased significantly with increasing radiation dose (about 28% increase at 

1Gy, p=0.0002). IL-6 levels also appeared to have increased with radiation 

dose by 9.3% at 1Gy (p=0.0003) and after multiple adjustments by 9.8% at 1Gy 

(p=0.0007). The elevated CRP and IL-6 levels were associated with decreases in 

the percentages of CD4+ helper T-cells in peripheral blood lymphocyte 

populations.



Conclusions: Our results appear to indicate that exposure to A-bomb radiation 

has caused significant increases in inflammatory activity that are still 

demonstrable in the blood of A-bomb survivors and which may lead to increased 

risks of cardiovascular disease and other non-cancer diseases.

 



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