Open Access

Cardiovascular diseases related to ionizing radiation: The risk of low-dose exposure (Review)

  • Authors:
    • Bjorn Baselet
    • Charlotte Rombouts
    • Abderrafi Mohammed Benotmane
    • Sarah Baatout
    • An Aerts
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: October 17, 2016     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2016.2777
  • Pages: 1623-1641
  • Copyright: © Baselet et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Traditionally, non-cancer diseases are not considered as health risks following exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation. Indeed, non-cancer diseases are classified as deterministic tissue reactions, which are characterized by a threshold dose. It is judged that below an absorbed dose of 100 mGy, no clinically relevant tissue damage occurs, forming the basis for the current radiation protection system concerning non-cancer effects. Recent epidemiological findings point, however, to an excess risk of non-cancer diseases following exposure to lower doses of ionizing radiation than was previously thought. The evidence is the most sound for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cataract. Due to limited statistical power, the dose-risk relationship is undetermined below 0.5 Gy; however, if this relationship proves to be without a threshold, it may have considerable impact on current low‑dose health risk estimates. In this review, we describe the CVD risk related to low doses of ionizing radiation, the clinical manifestation and the pathology of radiation-induced CVD, as well as the importance of the endothelium models in CVD research as a way forward to complement the epidemiological data with the underlying biological and molecular mechanisms.
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December-2016
Volume 38 Issue 6

Print ISSN: 1107-3756
Online ISSN:1791-244X

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Spandidos Publications style
Baselet B, Rombouts C, Benotmane AM, Baatout S and Aerts A: Cardiovascular diseases related to ionizing radiation: The risk of low-dose exposure (Review). Int J Mol Med 38: 1623-1641, 2016
APA
Baselet, B., Rombouts, C., Benotmane, A.M., Baatout, S., & Aerts, A. (2016). Cardiovascular diseases related to ionizing radiation: The risk of low-dose exposure (Review). International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 38, 1623-1641. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2016.2777
MLA
Baselet, B., Rombouts, C., Benotmane, A. M., Baatout, S., Aerts, A."Cardiovascular diseases related to ionizing radiation: The risk of low-dose exposure (Review)". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 38.6 (2016): 1623-1641.
Chicago
Baselet, B., Rombouts, C., Benotmane, A. M., Baatout, S., Aerts, A."Cardiovascular diseases related to ionizing radiation: The risk of low-dose exposure (Review)". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 38, no. 6 (2016): 1623-1641. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2016.2777