Is ionizing radiation the risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

Abstract

Aim: of the study was to analyze the influence if ionizing radiation, age and smoking on the development of COPD in a cohort of liquidators of the Chernobyl consequences included in the Clinical and Epidemiological Registry SI Research Center for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. Materials and methods: The analysis included data on 7 156 of the Chornobyl liquidators, of which 6 257 (87.4 %) men and 899 (12.6 %) women who were examined between 1993 and 2010 by pulmonologist. Results: Chronic bronchopulmonary diseases were detected in 50.0 % of the surveyed persons. The overall exposure dose was significantly higher among liquidators, which developed bronchopulmonary diseases (24.29 ± 0.82 sSv) compared with those without bronchopulmonary disease (14.58 ± 0.62 sSv), p = 0.001.In smokers the incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was twice higher than in those who did not smoke (10.2 and 5.16 %, respectively, p = 0.0001). Smoking appears an additional risk factor for somatic pathology on the background of ionizing radiation. At the same dose of irradiation, the incidence of COPD was higher among smokers in doses >10 sSv. Conclusion: The negative effect of ionizing radiation amplified by other risk factors for chronic bronchopulmonary disease: association between exposure doses and somatic pathology manifested in the surveyed people over the age of 45 years; at the same exposure dose risk of bronchopulmonary diseases was higher for smokers.