Small amounts of radiation are usually tolerable by our bodies. For instance, cancer treatments usually give a dose of 20 to 80 Gy in multiple fractions, depending on the type and stage of cancer.
However, this is a high dose if delivered in only a day. This is enough to cause radiation poisoning, which can lead to death without medical intervention.
It causes all sorts of negative changes within our body that may sometimes go unnoticed. Some symptoms are pretty common, too. A patient may not immediately think of radiation sickness.
If you work around radiation, you should watch out for the following symptoms.
1. Nausea and Vomiting
Some of the earliest signs of radiation sickness are nausea and vomiting. The amount of time passed between exposure and the onset of symptoms is an indicator of how much radiation the person has absorbed.
For instance, immediate onset of signs means that they had exposure to a high amount of radiation. Expect the prognosis to be worse in this case, as well.
Sometimes, nausea and vomiting represent the first round of signs of radiation poisoning. It can last for a few minutes up to a few days.
After this, the affected person may feel well and healthy. However, this can only last for a few days or even up to a few weeks. Another round almost always comes with more serious symptoms.
This round is the overt or manifest illness stage. The symptoms are specific to the type of radiation sickness, which depends on the dose. You can use radiation detectors for further investigation.
2. Skin Damage
Sometimes, radiation sickness presents itself as something like a sunburn. The skin feels sore and turns red.
It causes way worse damage than a sunburn, though. The areas exposed to radiation may form blisters and in some cases, open sores.
The skin may even atrophy for more severe or highly localized exposure. Ulcerations and threadlike patterns (also called spider veins) may also form.
In worse cases, radiation may lead to a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. It causes reddish or brownish patches on the skin, which often have a rough or scaly surface.
3. Hair Loss
Radiation also affects the hair follicles, causing hair loss. This is the reason why cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy will experience severe hair loss at some point.
For patients affected by a huge dose of radiation, however, the effect can be quick and drastic. They can have severe hair loss within two to three weeks.
This effect applies to any area of the body that received radiation. If it’s localized to one part – say, the arm, the hairs on that area might be the only ones to fall off. If it’s a strong enough dose, however, it may affect all hair follicles, including those on the head.
Sometimes, hair loss is permanent. This depends on the severity of the radiation poisoning.
4. Spontaneous Bleeding
Radiation reduces the number of platelets in the body. These are the colorless cell fragments in the blood that help form clots. As such, their primary function is to prevent bleeding.
With low platelets, your body won’t be able to form clots. It also leads to a condition called Thrombocytopenia.
A mild manifestation of this symptom is easy bruising. Patients may also notice some superficial bleeding in the skin. These appear as reddish-purple spots, like a rash.
A person affected by radiation sickness may also experience sudden bleeding in the nose, mouth, gums, and other orifices.
It can even cause internal bleeding, which can put blood in the stomach. When this happens, the patient may have bloody vomit and stools.
5. Bloody Diarrhea
Diarrhea, alone, is a classic symptom of radiation poisoning. As we’ve said above, though, it can be bloody due to internal bleeding. However, this isn’t the only reason why a patient may have bloody stools.
Another reason why a person with radiation sickness might have bloody diarrhea is that it’s easy for radiation to affect the cells in our body with rapid reproduction. This includes the cells lining the intestinal tract.
As a result, the patient will experience major irritation in their intestines. This causes diarrhea and if it’s bad enough, it can lead to bleeding in the intestinal tract. Hence, bloody diarrhea.
6. Fatigue
Radiation sickness may also feel like a bad case of the flu. Patients will feel weak and out of it, and they may even experience mental fogginess.
As radiation affects red blood cells, patients may also develop anemia, a condition in which the body lacks healthy red blood cells for transporting oxygen to the tissues. This can further contribute to feeling weak and tired all the time.
The people affected by radiation may feel dizzy and lightheaded, as well. These symptoms may be alone or on top of fatigue. Patients may even have fainting spells due to the lack of blood.
7. Infections
Platelets aside, radiation also targets and kills white blood cells. These are the cells responsible for attacking the invaders in the body. With decreased levels of white blood cells, a patient will have higher risks of developing infections due to bacteria, viruses, or fungi.
The increase in susceptibility to infections also happens because of a decrease in granulocytes and lymphocytes. The former is a part of the immune system, playing a key role in our body’s response to bacteria. The latter targets specific antigens, which are viruses, most of the time.
The bleeding in areas of the skin and bowel also encourages the entrance and growth of bacteria. This further heightens the risks of infections.
Talk to a Doctor for Suspected Radiation Poisoning Cases
If you had exposure to radiation, don’t wait until symptoms pop up. It’s better to have your body checked for any damage before it becomes worse. Radiation poisoning presents symptoms that may also indicate other diseases, so you can’t always be too sure.
When in doubt, go to your doctor. Feel free to read more of our health guides right here too and pick up even more health and fitness tips!