What are the most common side effects of radiation therapy?
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What are the most common side effects of radiation therapy?
Common Side Effects from Radiation Therapy
- Hair loss.
- Appetite changes.
- Mouth and throat changes.
- Trouble swallowing.
- Swelling.
- Coughing.
- Diarrhea.
- Nausea and vomiting.
What are 3 effects of radiation?
Exposure to very high levels of radiation, such as being close to an atomic blast, can cause acute health effects such as skin burns and acute radiation syndrome (“radiation sickness”). It can also result in long-term health effects such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Why does radiation hurt?
Radiation damages your stomach and intestines, blood vessels, and bone marrow, which makes blood cells. Damage to bone marrow lowers the number of disease-fighting white blood cells in your body. As a result, most people who die from radiation sickness are killed by infections or internal bleeding.
What should you avoid during radiation?
What Foods Should I Avoid During Radiation? Foods to avoid or reduce during radiation therapy include sodium (salt), added sugars, solid (saturated) fats, and an excess of alcohol. Some salt is needed in all diets. Your doctor or dietitian can recommend how much salt you should consume based on your medical history.
Is it safe to be around someone who has had radiation?
Some cancer patients who receive radiation therapy worry that their bodies will become “radioactive” after they receive radiation treatment. Their concern is that close physical contact with others could expose them to radiation. “The general answer to this concern is that physical contact is fine,” Snyder says.
What are the short term effects of radiation?
A very high level of radiation exposure delivered over a short period of time can cause symptoms such as nausea and vomiting within hours and can sometimes result in death over the following days or weeks. This is known as acute radiation syndrome, commonly known as “radiation sickness.”
What is not a long term effect of radiation?
“Rapidly dividing cells, such as cancer cells, are more affected by radiation therapy than normal cells. The body may respond to this damage with fibrosis or scarring, though this is generally a mild process and typically does not cause any long-term problems that substantially affect quality of life.”
What organs are affected by radiation?
Let’s do a head-to-toe walk-through to investigate how high doses of radiation can damage the human body.
- Brain. Nerve cells (neurons) and brain blood vessels can die, leading to seizures.
- Eyes. Radiation exposure increases the risk of cataracts.
- Thyroid.
- Lungs.
- Heart.
- GI tract.
- Reproductive organs.
- Skin.
How does radiation really impact the human body?
The EPA explains precisely why radiation is so harmful to our cells: Ordinarily, natural processes control the rate at which cells grow and replace themselves. They also control the body’s processes for repairing or replacing damaged tissue.
How does radiation impact your everyday life?
Fatigue. Fatigue is feeling tired physically,mentally,and emotionally.
What are the negative effects of radiation therapy?
Diarrhea