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[ Delayed effect of prenatal irradiation on the critical organs functional state in children after Chernobyl
1Minsk State Medical Institute, Belarus.
Insights
Ten years after Chernobyl exposure, children showed altered liver enzymes and bilirubin levels, with changes linked to fetal thyroid absorbed dose and sex. These metabolic markers decreased as radiation dose increased.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Health
- Biochemistry
Context:
- Investigates long-term health effects of in utero radiation exposure from the Chernobyl accident.
- Focuses on children residing in areas with less than 15 Ci/km2 contamination.
- Examines metabolic indicators ten years post-irradiation.
Purpose:
- To assess the impact of Chernobyl-related in utero radiation exposure on specific metabolic markers in children.
- To determine correlations between absorbed radiation dose and serum biochemical indexes.
- To explore sex-dependent differences in metabolic responses to radiation.
Summary:
- Metabolic indexes including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin levels were significantly different in Chernobyl-exposed children compared to controls.
- A negative correlation was observed between serum total bilirubin, AST, and ALT levels and the absorbed dose to the fetal thyroid.
- These biochemical markers decreased with increasing absorbed fetal thyroid dose, with observed changes being sex-dependent.
Impact:
- Highlights potential long-term biochemical alterations in children exposed to radiation in utero.
- Provides evidence for a dose-dependent relationship between fetal thyroid radiation exposure and specific liver function markers.
- Underscores the importance of considering sex as a factor in radiation health effects research.
Abstract:
Some indexes of a metabolism in 186 children exposed in utero through the Chernobyl accident were investigated ten years after the irradiation. All the children (basic and control groups) live in the territory with contamination less than 15 Ci/km2. It was shown, that the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase and the level of bilirubin (conjugated and unconjugated) differed from the corresponding indexes in the control group (p < 0.05). These change depended on sex. The correlation between the levels of the total bilirubin, activity of the ACT, ALT in serum and absorbed doze to the thyroid of fetus was found (correlation coefficient > -0.8, p < 0.05). The linear regression equations for these three indexes are straight line: the total bilirubin, ACT and ALT decreased with the increase of the absorbed dose to the thyroid of fetus (p < 0.05). The relationship between the all indexes in serum and effective doze and levels of cesium accumulation was not detected.