BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY

| NAME

UNIT NO.

HOSPITAL of the MEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER gengelap 70
UPTON,

NEW

DISCHARGE SUMMARY
ADMITTED:

8-18-89 &

YORK

PAVILION

AUGUST 4, 1968

DISCHARGED:

1

OPD

AUGUST 30, 1968

This 29-year-old woman was

admitted to this Hospital for

evaluation of a mass in the left region of the neck discovered during the
1968 annual medical survey at Rongelap Island.

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HISTORY OF PRESENT ILLNESS:

During the routine medical examination
of the Rongelap people this
patient was discovered to have a 1-2 cm. firm masa in the left side of the
neck lateral to the thyroid gland near the insertion of the sternocleidomastoid
muscle, The mass was non-tender, firm and did not move with the thyroid gland
on swallowing. No lymph adenopathy in this region or elsewhere was noted.
During the past two years the patient has complained of loss of appetite, weight
loss end not feeling very well. (Her weight of 110 pounds on the past survey
is 5-10 pounds below her usual weight. In 1954 her
PBI was 5.7 ugh and in
March of this year her serum thyroxine level (8-4) was 4.3 gk and serum
cholesterol 230 mgi. In view of the prevalence of thyroid abnormalities in the
exposed Marshallese people and the suspicious nature of this patient's lesion
it was considered wise to hospitalize her for full evaluation.
The patient was 15 years of age in
1954 at the time of the fallout
accident. At that time she was one of a group of 18 that was away on a nearby
atoll (Alingnae). This group received a whole body gamma dose of 70 rads about
half che exposure of the other Rongelap people. Before the accident she was
apparently healthy with a history of only occasional headaches. Following the
accident only a few transient effects of exposure were noted: (a) very slight
fallout lesions on the back of her neck at three weeks post exposure with some
cyanotic changes in her fingernail beds, both of which cleared up within a
few weeks; (b) and slight transient leukopenia . It was estimated that the dose
to her thyroid gland was about 55 rads from radioiodines absorbed plus 70 rads of
gemma radiation.
Following thes. early findings the
patient remained generally in good
health. Wo serious illnesses or injuries vere noted. Growth and development
was normal except for slight immaturity of sexual development (sparse pubic and
axillary hair and small breasts). Menarche was at 14 yeara of age followed
by normal menstrual periods. She has had four pregnancies, her first (1958)
resulted in a stillbirth following ea bre@ch delivery due to "contracted pelvis":
the second (1963) resulted in a normal delivery and baby. She has since had
mother stillbirch and a miscarriage. From the time of the first examinations
she has remained somewhat anemic (not uncommon in Marshallese females) vith

hematocrit readings ranging from 28-33.

‘

Since the survey examination of
March 1968 she has noted
occasional pain on swallowing, eating meals and drinking fluids. The pain is

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