Answer to Question #1998 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Q

I recently had eight x rays taken of my left hip and was concerned about the radiation. Two days after the x rays, I went to the community blood bank to give blood, but was rejected because my hemoglobin was too low (12.0). Could the x rays have lowered my red blood cell count that fast? Should I be concerned?

A

The amount of radiation exposure you received from the x-ray examinations would not approach the levels that would lead to an immediate effect on your blood. Generally, changes in the peripheral counts of white blood cells, for example, granulocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes, and plasma cells, and platelets occur in the range of 250 to 500 mGy. An estimated dose for a hip x-ray examination to the bone marrow, where cellular blood components originate, would be 3.9 mGy. See Question 1990 in the "Ask the Expert" category, "Doses and Dose Calculations." In addition, the red blood cells or erythrocytes, which contain the hemoglobin protein, have an average life span of 120 days. Because they lack a nucleus, they are not as affected as the white cell components of the blood by ionizing radiation. There are several causes of low hemoglobin values, the most common being menses in women and vitamin or iron deficiency. John Jacobus, CHP