What Is the Treatment for Radiation Fibrosis?

When the whole body or part of the body is exposed to external radiation or contaminated with radionuclides, the skin is the first to be affected. Damage to the skin caused by radiation is collectively called skin radiation injury. Skin radiation injury includes acute radiation injury, chronic radiation injury, and radiation skin cancer. Radiation burns mainly refer to acute radiation damage to the skin.

Basic Information

English name

radioactive damage

Visiting department

Burn surgery

Common causes

The whole or part of the body receives radiation exposure, which can cause radiation burns

Common symptoms

Headache, burnout, nausea, vomiting, etc., hair removal, erythema, blisters, ulcers, etc.

Causes of radiation damage

The whole or part of the body receives radiation irradiation, and the rays that can cause radioactive burns are mainly beta, gamma rays, and X-rays.

Clinical manifestations of radiation damage

Radioactive burn

It is the acute skin radiation damage caused by the skin being exposed to large doses of ionizing radiation once or in a short period of time. In clinical manifestations, it can be divided into 4 stages:

(1) The first stage is the early reaction period, which is manifested by temporary erythema locally in the exposed area. In severe cases, systemic early reactions (headache, burnout, nausea, vomiting, etc.) that occur during acute radiation sickness can occur.

(2) The second phase is the false healing period (also known as the incubation period). The above-mentioned local erythema subsides, and there are no other lesions on the surface, but the irradiation site still has functional disorders, temperature changes, and sweat gland secretion disorders. At this time, if accompanied by a systemic early response.

(3) The third stage is a specific symptom with varying degrees of obvious symptoms.

(4) The fourth stage is the recovery period, when the skin injury is recovered, or it becomes a chronic disease (this time is called the late reaction period).

2. Radioactive burns

According to the severity of the injury, it can be divided into 4 degrees. The clinical manifestations of 4 degrees are as follows:

(1) 1st degree-hair removal reaction mainly damages the skin's accessory organs-hair follicles and sebaceous glands.

(2) 2nd degree-Erythema reaction has obvious clinical stages in this degree of injury.

(3) 3rd degree-The early response of the blister reaction is similar to the 2nd degree, but it appears early and is severe.

(4) 4th degree burning or numbness, pain, swelling, and early erythema appear rapidly in the local area immediately after exposure to the ulcer response .

After 3rd and 4th degree local skin radiation burns, they are often accompanied by systemic symptoms, including systemic reactions due to radiation damage and systemic reactions caused by local burn lesions. Even if the local lesion heals, after a few months or years, a late reaction may occur, which turns into chronic skin radiation damage.

Radiation damage check

Estimate the type and dose of exposure through physical or biological testing.

Differential diagnosis of radiation damage

Diagnosis and differential diagnosis are mainly based on exposure history and clinical manifestations.

Radiation injury treatment

Salvage principle

1. Get rid of the radioactive source as soon as possible, eliminate the radioactive contamination, and avoid receiving the irradiation again.

2. Protect the injured part, prevent trauma and various physical and chemical stimuli, and give necessary protective bandages in time.

3. Eliminate inflammation, prevent secondary infection, and promote tissue regeneration and repair.

4. Radiation burns of different severity are treated with different methods. For deep tissue damage and long-lasting ulcers, surgical treatment should be considered, necrotic tissue is removed, and sutures, skin grafts or flaps are transplanted.

5. If accompanied by systemic radiation injury (radiation disease), local treatment should be combined with systemic treatment.