[The functional characteristics of the digestive system organs in persons living in a radionuclide-contaminated area]

A comprehensive clinico-instrumental evaluation was performed of 339 individuals residing in areas with high levels of radionuclide contamination, aimed to identify incidence rate for the development of various gastrointestinal tract pathologies. The digestive organs abnormalities were found to occur in 96% of the examinees, and included, for the most part, chronic gastritis, chronic cholecystitis, and ulcero-erosive lesions of gastric and duodenal mucosa. The results obtained warrant long-term follow-up examination of the digestive system status in victims of the Chernobyl accident, employing instrumental methods of investigation along with the institution of curative-and-prophylactic measures.