Abstract
Our aim is to evaluate the relevance of different factors influencing lifetime accumulated red bone marrow dose, such as calendar year, age and sex. The lifetime dose was estimated for controls interviewed in person (N = 2811, 37.5% women) of the population-based representative Northern Germany Leukemia and Lymphoma Study. Data were assessed in standardized computer-assisted personal interviews. The calculation of doses is based on a comprehensive quantification model including calendar year, sex, kind of examination, and technical development. In multivariate regression models the annual red bone marrow dose was analyzed depending on age, sex and calendar year to consider simultaneously temporal changes in radiologic practice and individual risk factors. While the number of examinations continuously rises over time, the dose shows two peaks around 1950 and after 1980. Men are exposed to higher doses than woman. Until 1970 traditional examinations like conventional and mass screening examinations caused the main dose. They were then replaced by technically advanced examinations mainly computed tomography and cardiac catheter. The distribution of the red bone marrow dose over lifetime depends highly on the technical standards and radiation protection survey. To a lesser extent it is influenced by age and sex of the subjects. Thus epidemiological studies concerning the assessment of radiation exposure should consider the calendar year in which the examination was conducted.
Highlights
Radiation is a risk factor for malignant diseases such as leukemia, malignant lymphoma, and solid tumors and for benign medical conditions like thyroid nodules, eye cataract and impaired brain development [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Northern Germany Leukemia and Lymphoma Study This study is based on the Northern Germany Leukemia and Lymphoma Study (NLL), a large population-based epidemiologic case-control study on causes and risk factors for monoclonal malignant hematologic diseases [13]
All analyses for this study were restricted to the controls of the NLL, who were randomly sampled from 78 population registries covering the population in the study area
Summary
Radiation is a risk factor for malignant diseases such as leukemia, malignant lymphoma, and solid tumors and for benign medical conditions like thyroid nodules, eye cataract and impaired brain development [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Compared to other diseases caused by radiation exposure leukemia develops more frequently after lower doses and with shorter latency following exposure. Leukemia is one of the best studied radiation induced diseases. It has its origin in the red bone marrow, which is characterized by a distribution over multiple parts of the body (head, extremities, thorax and abdomen) and a certain shielding by the surrounding bone. The effective dose of an examination represents the uniform whole-body dose which results in the same radiation risk as the organ doses absorbed [8]
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