23
ranged from 20 to 26 months, with an average of
22,4 months.
To determine whether or not some pattern in
physique characterized these children with retarded osseous development, several physical
measurements (from the 1959 study) on them and
on their sibs were compared (Table 13). These
anthropometric data suggested two trends. First,
the weight rankings corresponded to chronological
age rankings andnotto statural rankings. Second,
the lack of synchrony tn rankings of several measurements was noticeable in those children who
were shorter than their younger sibs. This contrasted with the uniform ranking of all measurements in those whose statural ranking corresponded with the chronological age ranking.
It might be speculated from these limited observations that these children were exposed to radiauion at a particularly vulnerable age and that the
resulting retardation in osseous developmentled
to failure in staturai growth. On the other hand,
itis not possible to exclude completely the possibility that some process unrelated to radiation
damage was responsible for the retardation in
skeletal development.
ADULT ABNORMALITIES
Table 14 is a compilation of the various physical
abnormalities noted in the adult group during the
1959 and 1960 surveys. No abnormalities are included for 1960 in the unexposed group because
this group was not examined in the 1960 survey.
This table does not show any signihcant differences between the abnormalities noted in the exposed and in the unexposed populations. Results
of special examinationsare discussed below.
CARDIOVASCULAR SURVEY
The cardiovascular findings may be found in
the table of physical abnormalities (Table 14).
The incidence of various electrocardiographic abnormalities is shown in Table 15. The population
was divided into a younger group, aged 20
through 49, and an older group, aged 250. In the
exposed population, the younger group of 24
people showed no major abnormalities, but of the
14 older people 29% showed one or more abnormalities. In the unexposed population, among the
younger group 15% had one or more abnor-
malities, and in the older group 41%. Specific
findings may be summanzedas follows.
Electrocardiographic Findings
1. Rhythm. In the younger group of exposed
subjects, all had normal rhythm. One abnormality
of rhythm was seen in a member of the younger
unexposed group. In the older groups, arrhythmia
occurred in 3 of 14 exposed individuals and in 4 of
29 unexposed.
2. Cenduction Times. Few abnormalities were
seen. No individual in either the exposed or the
unexposed group had prolonged auriculoventncular conduction time( P-R interval} above normal.
Several subjects had the shorter conduction ume
of 0.12 sec: this is considered normal. The tntra-
ventricular conduction time (QRSinterval) was
prolonged in several subjects. In the younger unexposed group, the ORS interval was U.10 to U.11
sec in one subject, sufficient to be considered right
bundle branch block. In the exposed population
the intraventricular conduction time was prolonged to 0.12 sec in only one individual, age SI,
who had a marked degree of hypertensive and
arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease and cardiac
enlargement. Among 29 individuals in the older
unexposed group, two showed intraventricular
conduction times of 0.12 sec without the typical
QRS complex of bundle branch block. In all other
subjects the intraventricular conduction time
ranged from 0.06 to 0.09 sec in the younger groups
and 0.08 to 0.09 in the older.
3. Electrical Axis Deviation and Electrical Position of the Heort. There were few variations. The
‘Fable 15
Electrocardiographic Abnormalities
(Percent Incidence in Younger and Older Age Groups)
Exposed
Abnormality
Rhythm
A-V
i-V
RST
T wave
Age
20-49
(24)*
Unexposed
Age
250
(t4)
0
2]
0
2
12
0
0
*Number examined.
?
7
7
Age
20-49
(55)}-
Age
2530
(29)
2
14
Ww
34
2
4
2
3
7
14