Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2017. Vol. 62.  No. 1. P. 32-37

DOI: 10.12737/25050

Radiation Risk of Incidence of Hypertensia among Russian Recovery Operation Workers of the Chernobyl Accident

V.K. Ivanov, S.Yu. Chekin, M.A. Maksioutov, V.V. Kashcheev, S.V. Karpenko, K.A. Tumanov, A.M. Korelo, E.V. Kochergina, O.K. Vlasov, N.V. Shchukina, S.S. Lovachev

A. Tsyb Medical Radiology Research Center, Obninsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

V.K. Ivanov - Chairman of the Russian Scientific Commission on Radiological Protection (RSCRP), UNSCEAR member, Deputy Director, Corresponding member of RAS, Prof., D.Sc., Tech.; S. Yu. Chekin - Head of Lab., RSCRP member; M.A. Maksioutov - Head of Lab., C. Sc., Tech.; V.V. Kashcheev - Head of Lab., C. Sc., Biol.; S. V. Karpenko - Engineer; K. A. Tumanov - Head of Lab., C. Sc., Biol.; A.M. Korelo - Senior Researcher; E.V. Kochergina - Head of Lab., C. Sc., Med.; O.K. Vlasov - Head of Lab., D.Sc., Tech.; N.V. Shchukina - Senior Researcher; S.S. Lovachev - Research Assistant

Abstract

Purpose: The main purpose of the research is to define the group of radiation risk (GRR) on the incidence of hypertension among Russian recovery operation workers of the Chernobyl accident (liquidators).

Material and methods: The object of research is the cohort of the Russian liquidators with the known individual doses of external gamma exposure of all body. Definition of GRR on incidence of hypertension is based on assessment of excess relative radiation risk (ERR) and relative radiation risk (RR) in the observed cohort of 106 thousand liquidators, having average accumulated dose of external gamma exposure of all body of 0.11 Gy and the maximum individual doses about 1 Gy.

Results: From 1986 to 2012 in this cohort 57112 cases of hypertension have been diagnosed, basically - essential (primary) hypertension (39.2 %) and hypertensive heart disease (53.8 %). The statistically significant ERR of incidence of hypertension was observed only for liquidators who entered the Chernobyl zone of recovery operations within the first year after the accident (before 26.04.1987): ERR/Gy = 0.26 with 95 % CI (0.12; 0.41), p < 0.001. For other liquidators no significant associations between the explosion dose and the incidence of hypertension were revealed. For nonparametric estimates of RR in dose groups (relative to the control group with doses < 0.05 Gy) the statistically significant radiation risk was observed only for the dose group over 0,25 Gy: RR = 1.07 at 95 % of CI (1.02; 1.12), p = 0.023. GRR on incidence of hypertension equal to 4 % of the number of the studied cohort of liquidators: 4515 persons with accumulated doses of 0.25 Gy and higher, arrived to the Chernobyl area within the first year after the accident. In GRR 2597 cases of diseases of hypertension were diagnosed; statistically significant (p = 0.023) assessment of RR is equal 1.07, with 95 % a confidential interval (1.02; 1.12) and an average dose 0.297 Gy. During observation from 1986 to 2012 6.5 % of cases of diseases of hypertension (170 cases) in GRR can be related to radiation-caused ones. GRR for the beginning of 2013 consisted of 2919 persons 1909 of whom had already had diagnoses of hypertension (125 - radiation caused). Since 2013 for lifetime in GRR from 43 to 66 cases of diseases of hypertension which can be related to radiation-caused are expected.

Conclusion: As hypertension is the risk factor for many circulatory diseases, address prevention and treatment of hypertension in GRR in the first years after radiation accidents could reduce the radiation-caused loss healthy years of participants of elimination of such accidents.

Key words: radiation risk, radiation risk group, hypertension, liquidators, Chernobyl accident, excess relative risk (ERR), relative risk (RR), radiation doses

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For citation: Ivanov VK, Chekin SYu, Maksioutov MA, Kashcheev VV, Karpenko SV, Tumanov KA, Korelo AM, Kochergina EV, Vlasov OK, Shchukina NV, Lovachev SS. Radiation Risk of Incidence of Hypertensia among Russian Recovery Operation Workers of the Chernobyl Accident. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2017;62(1):32-7. Russian. DOI: 10.12737/25050

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