23
‘ranged from 20 to 26 months, with an average of
22.4 months.
To determine whetheror not somepattern 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 in rankings of several measurements was noticeable in those children who
were shorter than their youngersibs. This con-
trasted with the uniform ranking of all measurements in those whose statural ranking corre-
sponded with the chronological age ranking.
It might be speculated from these limited obser-
vations that these children were exposed to radia-
tion at a particularly vulnerable age and that the
resulting retardation in osseous developmentled
to failure in statural growth. On the other hand,
it is not possible to exclude completely the pos-
sibility 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 significantdifferences between the abnormalities noted in the exposed andin the unexposed populations. Results
of special examinationsare discussed below.
CARDIOVASCULAR SURVEY
The cardiovascular findings may be foundin
the table of physical abnormalities (Table 14).
The incidenceof 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 > 50. 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, amongthe
younger group 15% had one or more abnor-
malities, and in the older group 41%. Specific
findings may be summarizedasfollows.
Electrocardiographic Findings
1. Rhythm. In the younger group of exposed
subjects, all had normal rhythm. One abnormality
of rhythm was seen in a memberof the younger
unexposed group. In the older groups, arrhythmia
occurredin 3 of 14 exposed individuals andin 4 of
29 unexposed.
2. Conduction Times.
Few abnormalities were
seen. No individualin either the exposed or the
unexposed group had prolonged auriculoventricular conduction time (P-R interval) above normal.
Several subjects had the shorter conduction time
of 0.12 sec; this is considered normal. Theintraventricular conduction time (QRSinterval) was
prolonged in several subjects. In the younger unexposed group, the ORSinterval was 0.10 to 0.11
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 81,
who had a marked degree of hypertensive and
arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease and cardiac
enlargement. Among29 individuals in the older
unexposed group, two showed intraventricular
conduction timesof 0.12 sec withoutthe 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 Heart. There were few variations. The
Table 15
Electrocardiographic Abnormalities
(Percent Incidence in Younger and Older Age Groups)
Exposed
Abnormality
Rhythm
A-V
I-V
RST
T wave
Unexposed
Age
20-49
Age
230
0
21
(24)
12
0
0
0
*Number examined.
(14)
7
7
7
21
Age
20-49
(55)
2
2
4
2
11
Age
290
(29)
14
3
7
14
34