High dose of X-ray radiations increases cancer risk for obese patients
Extremely obese people need a higher dose of radiation during X-ray examinations than people of normal weight, which increases their risk of cancer, a recent study suggests. The study appeared in the 'Journal of Radiological Protection'. The University of Exeter and Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, led the study of more than 600 patients who had undergone surgery for weight loss. The researchers found 630 patients with an available history of radiation dose in X-rays carried out between 2007 and 2015. The patients in the study had a body mass index of up to 50, indicating they were severely obese and nearly twice the weight they should be for their height. They had all undergone procedures such as the fitting of gastric bands, gastric sleeves or gastric bypasses. The team found that obese patients received much higher doses of radiation during X-ray than normal weight people, which is necessary due to the increased amount of tissue to be imaged. Read More ...