EFFECTS OF IONIZING RADIATION
Table 2.1—Pacients Treated Wich Antibiotics
|
Patient
|
Conprrion
| NUMBER
1
orDays
AnTia(or1c
i
Penicillin
2
Penicillin
1
Penicillin
Penicillin
2
Penicillin
2
Penicillin
7
Penicillin
5
2
1
Gantrasin
Penicillin
Penicillin
i
1
URI and bronchitis
with high temper-
2,3
4,5
8
7
8
9
10
11
12
ature.
URI, severe, with
pharyngitis and
high temperature.
Tooth extraction._..
Deep extensive
slough of epidermis of foot.
Inflamed tonsils
with high temperature and URI.
Rapid progressing
_undermining impetigo.
Traumatic gangrene
of foot.
Cystitis............
Furuncle on buttock.
Furuncle on forehead.
described in detail above.
Each appeared to
have evidence of a bacterial componentassoci-
ated with URI and antibiotics would have been
indicated had they not been irradiated. All
other individuals were not neutropenic at the
time of treatment and were given antibiotics
for specific indications. There was no instance
in which it was considered necessary to give
prophylactic antibiotics for neutropenia per se.
2.32
Clinical Observations and Platelet Counts
All individuals with a platelet count of
100,000 or less were examined daily for evidence
of hemorrhage into the skin, mucous membranes and retinae. Urine was examined daily
for red cells and albumin, and women were
questioned concerning excessive menstruation.
There was no evidence of any hemorrhage even
though 11 individuals reached platelet levels
between 35,000 and 65,000.
Two women men-
struated when their platelet counts were 150,000
and 130,000 respectively. Both menstruated
several extra days and thought that the bleeding was more than usual but not sufficient to
cause them concern.
2.33,
Hematocrit Changes
In radiation injury an anemia can be preduced by three phenomena: a. Partial or complete suppression of erythropoiesis: b. Hemorrhage; c. Hemolysis. (9). The existence of
the latter is not universally accepted as a characteristic part of radiation injury. Since hemorrhagic phenomena were not observed a severe
anemia would have been expected only if
erythropoiesis were suppressed severely for a
long time. With complete suppression of
erythropoiesis and an unchanged life span of
the red cell one would expect a deficit of 0.83
percent per day since the human red blvodcell
has a life span of approximately 120 days.
Nineteen individuals in Groups I and II had
hematocrits between 31 and 35 percent. Nine
of the 19 were children, aged 1 to 5 years and
would be expected to have a lower hematocrit
than norma] adults; four were over 70 years of
age, in which age group a decreased hematocrit
is frequently present without obvious cause.
Twoof the 19 had had menorrhagiaprior to the
determination, two were 3 to 4 months preg' nant and had not received supplementary iron,
and two were young women. These hematocrits could be ascribed to physiological variations rather than to the effects of irradiation
on hematopoiesis. Supplementary tron was the
only therapy used for the mild anemias observed. Thus no definite evidence of prolonged
erythropoietic suppression was observed even in
individuals who had received 175 r whole body
radiation. —
2.4
An Epidemic of Upper Respira-
tory Infection Occurring During the
4th and 5ch Post-Exposure Weeks
Berwren THe 27th and the 42nd post-exposure days an epidemic of upper respiratory
disense (('RI) occurred. The respiratory in-
fection consisted of moderate malaise, pharyn-
ae
20