Whole Body Irradiation Effects

Total body exposure responses vary as a function of the total dose received (see table below)
The response to total body exposure is typically divided into 4 stages
1. Prodromal: initial symptoms
  - Occurs in minutes to days after exposure
  - Often includes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and general low level illness
2. Latent phase: reduction in symptoms
  - Occurs days to weeks after exposure
  - Exposed individual may be temporarily free of effects
3. Manifest illness: primary (dangerous) symptoms arise
4. Death or recovery

Syndrome	Dose Range	Signs/Symptoms	Survival
Hematopoietic Syndrome	1-6Gy	Drop in blood cell count. Infections due to low blood cells Poor wound healing Moderate fever Possible headache Short-term cognitive impairment Alopecia (after 3 Gy)	50-95% Recovery in 6-8 weeks
Gastrointestinal Syndrome	6-30Gy	Symptoms associated with Hematopoietic Syndrome Nausea Vomiting Loss of appetite Abdominal pain Death is common without exotic treatments such as bone marrow transplant	0-50% >99% fatality above 8Gy Cause of death is generally infection Survival time of 2 days to 2 weeks
Neurovascular Syndrome	>30Gy	Symptoms associated with Gastrointestinal Syndrome Dizziness Headache Seizures Tremor Ataxia Loss of consciousness	0% survival Survival time 1-2 days