Re: Rad. induced heart attacks

[John Moulder <jmoulder@post.its.mcw.edu>]

>    I have been asked to document that radiation does or does not cause 
> heart attacks.  The University experienced two deaths to heart attacks 
> on two consecutive nights in a department here on campus.  Now everyone 
> feels these deaths are related to working conditions.  The latest 
> theory is that this department is located next to physics and since 
> everyone knows that RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL is used here -- THE HEART 
> ATTACKS WERE SOMEHOW INDUCED BY RADIATION!! 
>    I have stated that an exposure low doses of radiation would not 
> cause this type of specific biological effect.  Now I have been asked 
> to show some type of documentation to that this is the case.  My 
> question is: 
> 
>       Does anyone have any information on this topic? 
>    or 
>       Does anyone know where I could possible get this information? 

Folks, telling him that its a dumb question (which it is) doesn't help him 
answer it.

The primary source I would cite is:

Carciovascular system:  Heart, Aorta and Major Vessels.  In: RP Rubin and GW 
Casarett (eds), Clinical Radiation Pathology, WB Saunders, Philadelphia, 
1968, pp 471-517
[If its not in the library, check with the folks in Radiation Oncology, its 
still one of the bibles of the field]

Some other good soruces are:

JR Stewart & LF Fajardo, Radiation-induced heart disease.  Front. Radiother. 
Oncol. 6:274-288, 1972.

S. Schultz-Hector, Radiation-induced heart disease:  review of experimental 
data on dose response and pathogenesis, Int. J. Radiat. Biol. 61:149-160 
(1992).

J.M. Brown, L.F. Fajardo, and J.R. Stewart, Mural thrombosis of the heart 
induced by radiation, Arch. Path. 96:1-4 (1973).

P.R. Gavin and E.L. Gillette, Radiation response of the canine cardiovascular 
system, Radiat. Res. 90:489-500 (1982).

S.L. Hancock, S.S. Donaldson, and R.T. Hoppe, Cardiac disease following 
treatment of Hodgkin's disease in children and adolescents, J. Clin. Oncol. 
11:1208-1215 (1993).

C.S. LaMonte, D.D.J. Yeh, and D.J. Straus, Long-term follow-up of cardia 
function in patients with Hodgkin's disease treated with mediastinal 
irradiation and combination chemotherapy including doxorubicin, Cancer Treat. 
Rep. 70:439-444 (1986).

R.L. Larsen, G. Barber, C.T. Heise, and C.S. August, Exercise assessment of 
cardiac function in children and young adults before and after bone marrow 
transplantation, Pediatrics 89:722-729 (1992).

S. Lauk, Z. Kiszel, Buschmann, and K.R. Trott, Radiation-induced heart 
disease in rats, Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 11:801 (1985).

S. Lauk, S. Ruth, and K.R. Trott, The effects of dose-fractionation on 
radiation-induced heart disease in rats, Radiother. Oncol. 8:363-367 (1987).

S. Lauk and K.R. Trott, Radiation induced heart disease in hypertensive rats, 
Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 14:109-114 (1988).


John Moulder (jmoulder@its.mcw.edu)
Radiation Biology Group
Medical College of Wisconsin