American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 131, No. 1: 114-123
Copyright © 1990 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
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PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO IONIZING RADIATION AND SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT OF SEIZURES
1Radiation Effects Research Foundation Hiroshima, Japan
2University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, TX
3Department of Statistics, Radiation Effects Research Foundation Hiroshima, Japan
4Department of Epidemiology, Kyorin University Tokyo, Japan
5Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, TX
6Radiation Effects Research Foundation Hiroshima, Japan
Reprint requests to Editorial Section, Radiation Effects Research Foundation, 5-2 Hijiyama Park, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 732, Japan
Seizures are a frequent sequela of impaired brain development and can be expected to affect more children with radiation-related brain damage than children without such damage. This report deals with the incidence and type of seizures among survivors prenatally exposed to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and their association with specific stages of prenatal development at the time of irradiation. Fetal radiation dose was assumed to be equal to the dose to the maternal uterus. Seizures here include all references in the clinical record to "seizure," "epilepsy," or "convulsion." Histories of seizures were obtained at biennial routine clinical examinations starting at about the age of 2 years. These clinical records were used to classify seizures as febrile or unprovoked (without precipitating cause). No seizures were ascertained among subjects exposed 0–7 weeks after fertilization at doses higher than 0.10 Gy. The incidence of seizures was highest with irradiation at the eighth through the 15th week after fertilization among subjects with doses exceeding 0.10 Gy and was linearly related to the level of fetal exposure. This obtains for all seizures without regard to the presence of fever or precipitating causes, and for unprovoked seizures. When the 22 cases of severe mental retardation were excluded, the increase in seizures was only suggestively significant and only for unprovoked seizures. After exposure at later stages of development, there was no increase in recorded seizures.
central nervous system; gestational age; radiation effects; seizures
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