Severity Levels and Symptoms Complexes for Acute Radiation Sickness -- Description and Quantification
Abstract
This report develops a descriptive/quantifying structure to express and gauge the severity of symptoms, forms Symptom complexes, and construct a dose/time map of the symptom squealed following prompt ionizing radiation exposure and injury in humans. Radiation doses in the range of 75 to 4500 rads and postexposure time up to 6 weeks are considered. Symptom severity levels, ranging from level 1 (no apparent effect) to level 5 (maximum severity), are defined for each of 6 symptoms categories including: (1) upper gastrointestinal distress, (2) lower GI distress, (3) fatigability and weakness, (4) hypotension, (5) infection, bleeding, and fever, and (6) fluid loss and electrolyte imbalance. Temporal profiles of symptom severity are developed for the 6 symptom categories as well as for the symptom complexes formed by combining each symptom category according to severity level along postexposure time. About 100 different symptom complexes cover the dose and time ranges of interest. A dose/time mapping of the symptom complexes was used to select 30 to 40 of the most important ones. Those were included on U.S. Army questionnaires designed to obtain personnel judgments of task performance under various degress of debilitation. The incidence of upper GI distress, lower GI distress, fatigability and weakness, and early diarrhea are estimated based on probit and logit analyses of medical data.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 30, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA175840
Entities
People
- D. B. Wilson
- G. H. Anno
- S. J. Baum