The importance of medical checkups as a health investment is well known to many people. Some people refuse to undergo fluoroscopy when they hear that X-rays are harmful to the human body, and as a result, some people miss the best time for treatment of lung, liver, kidney, and breast cancers. In medical checkups, what items may be harmful to the human body? How can we make medical checkups truly beneficial to our health?
X-ray examination is a common auxiliary clinical diagnostic examination method, and is often seen in the physical examination. However, as we all know, X-rays are radioactive rays, and since radioactive rays can be harmful to your health, is such a test necessary and what is its significance?
First, we need to understand what X-rays are and what kind of properties they have.
W.K. Roentgen
X-rays are electromagnetic waves produced by high-speed electrons striking atoms of matter. Discovered by German physicist W.K. Roentgen in 1895, they are also known as Roentgen rays. High frequency values, radiation synchronization, and strong penetration are the characteristics of X-rays.
CT system
Is radiation from radioactive substances harmful to health? Undoubtedly, there must be some damage to the human body, so how harmful are X-rays? A certain dose of X-rays through ionizing radiation, on biological cells, especially proliferative cells, can cause cell inhibition, damage, and even necrosis. After the human body has been irradiated by X-rays, depending on the degree of sensitivity to X-rays, different reactions can occur. The higher the cell proliferation, the more sensitive it is to X-rays. At present, the ionizing radiation that ordinary people can come into contact with in their daily lives mainly comes from medical radiation, of which the radiation received from X-ray examinations is the main source of ionizing radiation that non-professionals may come into contact with. According to the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), it is estimated that about 350 people in Beijing each year may be exposed to X-rays to induce cancer, leukemia or other hereditary diseases.
CT systems
Why are X-rays used in medicine when they can be so harmful? X-rays are currently used in both diagnostic and therapeutic applications in the medical field, with X-ray fluoroscopy, X-ray photography, and computed tomography used for diagnostic purposes. For this reason, X-rays have been used to diagnose and treat human diseases with the doctor's ability to penetrate the surface and see changes in the internal structure of the human body in a different way. Over the past hundred years, X-ray equipment has changed dramatically, from the simplest X-ray device to digital computerized equipment, as well as 64-slice and 256-slice CT systems.
Is there a definitive dose of radiation that the body receives during these examinations? The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), in its publication No. 44 of 1984, suggested that the maximum single acceptance of the measured radiation dose to human organs is 7.5 Gray, and that the dose to the lungs during orthopantomograms of the chest is only 0.38 mGy, and that the current single helical CT exams receive a dose lower than this internationally required standard.
Seeing that X-rays play a significant role in medical diagnosis, how can they be used correctly and with as little damage to human health as possible? I give the following suggestions:
1.? Try to avoid X-ray examination, for example, under 40 years of age without cardiopulmonary diseases of the people in the routine physical examination of the chest X-ray examination can be unnecessary, but do not refuse the necessary examination;
2.? If you have to undergo an X-ray examination, you should choose the appropriate one. The radiation dose of the current computerized digital radiography and spiral CT examination is much smaller than that of the traditional chest fluoroscopy, and it has a better effect.
3. When undergoing X-ray examination, important parts, such as gonads, thyroid, crystals, etc., should be protected;
4.? Special populations such as pregnant women and children should be strictly controlled for the indications of the examination.
All in all, X-ray examination has both advantages and disadvantages, reasonable use, self-protection, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Otherwise, the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. This requires mutual understanding between doctors and patients, mutual trust, *** with the use of good "harmful" X-ray examination.