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08 July 2008

Answer to Question #2912 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Radiation Effects — Biological Effects of Radiation

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

One week after having a VQ scan, I developed a severe chest cold with a lot of sinus pressure. It has been two weeks since the symptoms started and seems to be more persistent than any other cold I've had. I don't have any signs of getting better any time soon. I've read that radiation reduces immunities. When I had the scan, I was told that the amount of radiation is like being out in the sun for a couple of days. Is there a connection between developing this cold after having this scan?

Radiation does suppress the immune system, but the dose must be large. The only sources of such doses are nuclear accidents, nuclear war, or therapeutic radiation for treatment of cancer. Exposures in the range you received from your scan are much smaller (a factor of at least 1,000). These low doses have been associated with stimulation of the immune system.

Conclusion: There is no known mechanism for relating your diagnostic exposure to your infection.

S. Julian Gibbs, DDS, PhD

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