RADIATION INDUCED CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS

The Evidence for Radiation Induced Cardiovascular Effects

The Evidence for Radiation Induced Cardiovascular Effects

Introduction

Cardiovascular disease is a phrase accustomed to express all diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Cardiovascular diseases serve as leading cause of morbidity and mortality at present time. They contribute the major share in the death of people around the globe and remain the leading cause of premature deaths in world. Cardiovascular diseases are the main reasons of mortality and morbidity across the world in both developing and developed nations, and in nations transitioning from former socialist status. The effect of cardiovascular conditions has been signified by health specialist in terms of its severe social and economic impacts on the populations. At times medications are also needed. Furthermore the diseases are accounting for young deaths that are the most disturbing factor. The average age of society is decreasing with increasing frequency of cardiovascular diseases. This average age accounts for disturbance on economical paradigm. The adverse effect cardiovascular diseases have on the economy of country and life of the patient has lead to the study of its causes. Increasingly researchers are involved in the area of finding out the causes of the disease with the aim to thwart its adverse affects. Among many other causes of cardiovascular diseases, recent studies have demonstrated a noteworthy connection with the development of cardiovascular disease and the exposure of an individual to the radiation. The study of the life span of individuals who survived Japanese atomic bombing illustrate that exposure to the radiation drastically increased the risk of developing cardiovascular heart disease (Schultz-Hector and Trott, 2007, pp. 1).

With technological advancements and augmentation in the proliferation of weapon of mass destruction, radiologists, scientists and sociologists have been very concerned about the radiation effect on military and civilians. The earliest research on the issue indicated that radiation exposure to the heart affected the function of the heart especially when high doses were experienced over a short period of time. People experiencing average body radiation doses between 3,900 and 4,900 rads along with 12,000 rads exposure to the upper abdomen died out within the course of few days. Among other complications, the exposed people displayed changes in the heart's tissue structure that rendered it unusable (Shipman, 1961, pp.191-92).

The document will explore the evidences that have demonstrated the dangerous nature of radiation towards augmenting cardiovascular diseases. The content is designed to give in depth insights of the topic based on the scholarly resources available in literature that demonstrate fact related researches.

Discussion

Researches have demonstrated that mediastinal irradiations (used for the purpose of treating cancers and to improvise results for several kinds of neoplasms including the breasts, lungs and oesophagus) as well as the nuclear radiations (resulting from the use of nuclear devices and weapons of mass destruction) have remarkable effect on the development of cardiac diseases also known as Radiation induced heart disease (RIHD). Other radiations might include computed diagnostic cardiac catheterization, tomogram scans radiograph, percutaneous coronary and intervention radionuclide imaging ...