I am having medical problems that may be related to radiation treatment I had in the 70's. Has anyone had any other health issues that may have been caused by extreme doses of radiation?

The reason I asked this question is that I am having heart and kidney problems. I am also have chronic anemia which started 4 years ago and has become a yearly event.

EllenY:
I found a press release from 2006 entitled "Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer Face Long-Term Health Problems, Says Children's Hospital Expert and Co-Author of National Study."

I realize you didn't say you had cancer, just radiation treatment. Furthermore I don't know your age, but the release goes on to say:

"Survivors of childhood cancer may face long-term health problems well into adulthood, as reported today in a large multicenter study of over 10,000 adults who survived a childhood battle with cancer.

"One of the co-authors of the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study is a long- standing pioneer in the field. Anna T. Meadows, M.D., and colleagues at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia were the first researchers to investigate the late effects of childhood cancer, starting in the mid-1970s. An oncologist, Dr. Meadows is the medical director of the Cancer Survivorship Program at Children's Hospital."

The study compared over 10,000 adult survivors of pediatric cancer against 3,000 of their siblings. The survivors were "more than three times as likely to have a chronic health condition, and more than eight times as likely to have a severe or life-threatening condition. The incidence of these chronic conditions increased over time and did not appear to level off over the time span that was studied."

It went on to say that survivors diagnosed between 1970 and 1986 and treated with radiation and/or chemo were "particularly vulnerable to second cancers, heart conditions, kidney disease, severe musculoskeletal problems and endocrine abnormalities such as thyroid disease, osteoporosis and sterility. Female survivors were at higher risk than male survivors for chronic illnesses."

Additionally, a 2003 article in Newsweek by Claudia Kalb entitled "Growing Up Healthy, Afterward: How to avoid the long-term effects of kids' cancer treatments" directly addresses the long-term effects of radiation on young people treated in the 70s and 80s.