Hematologic Response

Discussion

At 200 Rads of acute total body exposure, the hematologic responses becomes more profound. As always, the lymphocytes are the first cells to resond by falling to 40% of their prior circulating level within several days. The neutrophils show a gradual decrease which reaches a low of about 60% at 45 days post exposure. Interestingly, there is a slight increase in the curve at 2-3 days and 2 weeks post exposure. The reason for this slight increase is unclear. The platelets show a gradual decrease to between 30 and 35% of the normal levels which reaches its lowest at 30 days post exposure. Despite the profound effects on these cells, bleeding and infections are still not usually seen.