Low-dose ionising radiation and cardiovascular diseases – Strategies for molecular epidemiological studies in Europe

Publication date: Available online 3 April 2015 Source:Mutation Research/Reviews in Mutation Research Author(s): Michaela Kreuzer , Anssi Auvinen , Elisabeth Cardis , Janet Hall , Jean-Rene Jourdain , Dominique Laurier , Mark P. Little , Annette Peters , Ken Raj , Nicola S. Russell , Soile Tapio , Wei Zhang , Maria Gomolka It is well established that high-dose ionising radiation causes cardiovascular diseases. In contrast, the evidence for a causal relationship between long-term risk of cardiovascular diseases after moderate doses (0.5–5Gy) is suggestive and weak after low doses (<0.5Gy). However, evidence is emerging that doses under 0.5Gy may also increase long-term risk of cardiovascular disease. This would have major implications for radiation protection with respect to medical use of radiation for diagnostic purposes and occupational or environmental radiation exposure. Therefore, it is of great importance to gain information about the presence and possible magnitude of radiation-related cardiovascular disease risk at doses of less than 0.5Gy. The biological mechanisms implicated in any such effects are unclear and results from epidemiological studies are inconsistent. Molecular epidemiological studies can improve the understanding of the pathogenesis and the risk estimation of radiation-induced circulatory disease at low doses. Within the European DoReMi (Low Dose Research towards Multidisciplinary Integration) project, strategies to conduct mo...
Source: Mutation Research Reviews in Mutation Research - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research