Table of Contents
What are the symptoms of radiation sickness?
These symptoms include loss of appetite, fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and possibly even seizures and coma. This seriously ill stage may last from a few hours up to several months. People who receive a high radiation dose also can have skin damage.
What are early symptoms of acute radiation syndrome?
Symptoms are anorexia, severe nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea. Onset occurs within a few hours after exposure. Stage lasts about 2 days. Stem cells in bone marrow and cells lining GI tract are dying, although patient may appear and feel well.
What are the effects of radiation on the human body?
Radiation Effects on Humans
| Dose (rem) | Effects |
|---|---|
| 5-20 | Possible late effects; possible chromosomal damage. |
| 20-100 | Temporary reduction in white blood cells. |
| 100-200 | Mild radiation sickness within a few hours: vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue; reduction in resistance to infection. |
What are the effects of radiation sickness?
Symptoms of radiation sickness may include: Weakness, fatigue, fainting, confusion. Bleeding from the nose, mouth, gums, and rectum. Bruising, skin burns, open sores on the skin, sloughing of skin.
What are the effects of radiation?
Exposure to very high levels of radiation, such as being close to an atomic blast, can cause acute health effects such as skin burns and acute radiation syndrome (“radiation sickness”). It can also result in long-term health effects such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
How do you get radiation sickness?
Radiation sickness results when humans (or other animals) are exposed to very large doses of ionizing radiation. Radiation exposure can occur as a single large exposure (acute). Or it can occur as a series of small exposures spread over time (chronic).
Does radiation make you sick?
Nausea and vomiting can occur after radiation therapy to the stomach, small intestine, colon or parts of the brain. Your risk for nausea and vomiting depends on how much radiation you are getting, how much of your body is in the treatment area, and whether you are also having chemotherapy.
Does radiation cause nausea?
Radiation therapy may also cause nausea and vomiting. The part of the body where the radiation therapy is given. Radiation therapy to the gastrointestinal tract, liver, or brain, or whole body is likely to cause nausea and vomiting.
Can radiation cause flu like symptoms?
When large amounts of radiation are released into the air over a short period of time (as from a nuclear blast), it can make people and other living things very sick. Radiation sickness can cause flu-like symptoms, hair loss, skin burns, and even death.
Is fever a side effect of radiation?
Radiation reactions can be categorized as acute or late, occurring before and after six months after radiotherapy. Among the most common acute reactions there were observed: skin rash, mucositis, nausea, vomiting, fever and radiation pneumonitis.