Angela Onwuzoo
Repeated use of X-ray machines can expose a patient to the risk of ionizing radiation and cancer, a public health physician at the Department of Community Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Kaduna State, Dr. Aliyu Sokomba, has warned.
Citing other associated health risks, he said it should be discouraged among patients, stressing that X-rays should only be carried out when absolutely necessary considering its inherent danger.
The World Health Organisation says prenatal exposure to ionizing radiation may induce brain damage in foetuses following an acute dose exceeding 100 mSv between weeks 8 to 15 of pregnancy and 200 mSv between weeks 16 to 25.
“Before week eight or after week 25 of pregnancy, human studies have not shown radiation risk to fetal brain development. Epidemiological studies indicate that the cancer risk after fetal exposure to radiation is similar to the risk after exposure in early childhood.
“Epidemiological studies on populations exposed to radiation, such as atomic bomb survivors or radiotherapy patients, showed a significant increase of cancer risk at doses above 100 mSv.
“More recently, some epidemiological studies in individuals exposed to medical exposures during childhood (paediatric CT) suggested that cancer risk may increase even at lower doses (between 50-100 mSv),” WHO stated.
Speaking in an interview with PUNCH HealthWise, the physician said a patient should worry when asked to do repeated X-rays.
He said, “When a person is asked to do repeat x-rays, he is exposed to high ionizing radiation. So many risks are associated with ionizing radiation. Once this radiation gets into your body, it disrupts cell formation.
“It is the cell that produces different structures in your body. This abnormal cell formation can cause cancer. So, the most common side effect of ionizing radiation is malignancy.”
Continuing, he said, “It can also cause impotence in men. It could affect the scrotum, and the genitals and kill the reproductive cells and the person will not be able to produce.
“It can also affect the women too because they have reproductive organs, though embedded in their body. Those radiations can penetrate the body and affect these vital organs.
“That is why it is usually discouraged that people should have repeated X-rays done on repeated occasions except it is absolutely necessary. X-ray gives more radiation, ultrasound has very minimal radiation tendency, Magnetic resonance imaging has minimal radiation, as well as computed tomography, scan.”
According to the American Cancer Society, radiation given for prostate cancer affects erection.
“Some men will have issues with erections (erectile dysfunction) within a few years of external beam radiation for prostate cancer. Some of these men may have erections that allow penetration, but only a small portion report their erections are as good as they were before treatment.
“Some men with early-stage prostate cancer have a choice between radiation and surgery to treat their cancer.
“Men who have had radiation may see a general decrease in the firmness of their erections over time (up to several years after radiation). In contrast, after surgery most men have erection problems right away and then have a chance to recover erections in the first two years following the surgery”, the society said.
According to the WHO, “Annually worldwide, more than 3600 million diagnostic radiology examinations are performed, 37 million nuclear medicine procedures are carried out, and 7.5 million radiotherapy treatments are given.”
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