Biological effects of radiation pt2 Flashcards
how does ionising radiation effect cellular level damage
radiation damage to dna can cause significant biological damage to cells
this cellular level damage is classified as either direct or indirect damage
explain the effects of direct damage to cells
when radiation interacts directly with DNA this can cause cells to be disfunctional, cell death, and abnormal replication
if the sematic cells are affected by radiation then this can cause cancer in the patient
if the radiation directly affects the reproductive stem cells of the patient then this can affect the offspring of that patient
explain the indirect radiation damage
this is when radiation interacts with and ionises water molecules to produce free radicals which can damage DNA
sincxe our bodies comprise of 70% water, majority of cell damage will be indirect cell damage
what is tissue reaction in terms of the effcets of radiation on tissue
this is when the radiation dose effects the body of the person being exposed. the severity of the effect is directly proportional to the radiation dose recieved
the higher the dose is, the higher the severity of the effect
there is also a threshold dose below which tissue reactions do not occur
what is early tissue reaction
these appear shortly after exposure and include things such as redness of the skin
what are late tissue reactions
these appear months or years after exposure and they include things such as bone death
what are stochastic effects
thesse can be random and can either be genetic or somatic and there is no threshold dose below which these effects can occur so they can affect anyone 7
how is the risk of developing radiation induced cancer age dependant
younger patients are at a higher risk of developing fatal cancer due to the fcat that they are more likely to live longer after being exposed to radiation
