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Review
. 2009 Jun;6(6):1882-93.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph6061882. Epub 2009 Jun 19.

Health risk and biological effects of cardiac ionising imaging: from epidemiology to genes

Ilenia Foffa  1 , Monica Cresci, Maria Grazia Andreassi
Affiliations
Review

Health risk and biological effects of cardiac ionising imaging: from epidemiology to genes

Ilenia Foffa et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2009 Jun.

Abstract

Cardiac diagnostic or therapeutic testing is an essential tool for diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, but it also involves considerable exposure to ionizing radiation. Every exposure produces a corresponding increase in cancer risk, and risks are highest for radiation exposure during infancy and adolescence. Recent studies on chromosomal biomarkers corroborate the current radioprotection assumption showing that even modest radiation load due to cardiac catheter-based fluoroscopic procedures can damage the DNA of the cell. In this article, we review the biological and clinical risks of cardiac imaging employing ionizing radiation. We also discuss the perspectives offered by the use of molecular biomarkers in order to better assess the long-term development of health effects.

Keywords: DNA damage; biomarkers; cancer risk; genetic polymorphisms; ionizing radiation.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Chemical and biological effects by ionizing radiation. On the left side: from physical interaction (a few milliseconds) to clinical effects (decades later). On the right side: the corresponding molecular (DNA damage), cellular (cell damage or proliferation), and clinical events (such as cancer). Redrawn and modified from ref. [10].
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Graphical representation the cumulative exposure of doses in multiples of dose from a simple chest x ray (y axis, left) and corresponding cancer risk (y axis, right) cancer risk and radiation dose (in multiples of dose from a simple chest x ray) for a typical cardiological patients undergoing to five radiological examinations. Redrawn and modified from ref. [4].
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Radiation- Induced Risk of Cancer on Age and Gender by using the BEIR VII estimates.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Biomarkers are the key elements of molecular epidemiology and may open the “black box” from exposure to disease.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Chromosomal aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes: biomarkers of early effect and cancer risk assessment. Redrawn and modified from ref. [26].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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