How many children have CT-induced deformities?

When a woman is pregnant, every pregnant mother hopes that the baby will be healthy and born safely, but life during pregnancy is not always smooth sailing. Many pregnant mothers will encounter various problems. As we all know, X-rays and CT scans have radiation, which are usually not allowed for pregnant women, and should not be done during the pregnancy preparation period, otherwise it will affect the baby's growth and development. How many children have deformities caused by CT scans?

01

Is the radiation from X-rays and CT really harmful?

Whether it is X-ray or CT, both have "radiation", but "radiation" is not always harmful.

Simply put, radiation is divided into ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation: X-rays, CT scans, etc. have huge energy, enough to ionize atoms, thereby directly damaging cells or changing DNA structure. This is called ionizing radiation. When the dose exceeds the prescribed level, it can cause considerable harm to the human body. Non-ionizing radiation: Another type of radiation with less energy is called non-ionizing radiation. Common radiation sources in life, including computers, mobile phones, televisions, microwave ovens, radios, ovens, hair dryers... all fall within the scope of non-ionizing radiation.

Since ionizing radiation can change the structure of DNA, does that mean you definitely can't have a CT scan or X-ray while you're pregnant? Actually, that's not necessarily true. Everyone must remember one thing: it is irresponsible to talk about harm without considering the dosage, because the impact of ionizing radiation on the fetus needs to be evaluated from two aspects: the amount of radiation and the size of the baby.

02

Will taking an X-ray or CT scan have any effect on the fetus?

Scientific research shows that the radiation dose that can affect the intelligence of the fetus is approximately between 200mGy and 400mGy; if the ionizing radiation is controlled below 50mGy, there will be no miscarriage, teratogenesis or impact on intelligence.

03

Is it not possible to have an X-ray at any stage of pregnancy?

Pregnancy week 0 to 4 is an "all or nothing stage". During this stage, if the fetus is harmed by ionizing radiation, it will either be safe and sound or die directly. There will be no situation of "persisting with injury".

The 5th to 8th week of pregnancy is the early stage of cell differentiation and is relatively sensitive, but as long as the dosage is controlled within the above mentioned level, scientific research considers it to be safe.

The 8th to 15th week of pregnancy is the period when radiation has the greatest impact on the fetus's intellectual development. But there is no need to panic. Scientists' research on pregnant women and fetuses after the atomic bomb explosion in Japan during World War II showed that during this period, the radiation dose had to be as high as 1000mGy for 40% of the fetuses to experience a decline in intelligence; if the radiation dose reached 1500mGy, the proportion of intelligence decline would rise to 60%.

In general, after the sensitive period, the upper limit of radiation dose that can harm the baby gradually increases with the gestational age. Moreover, in the environment we live in, there is ionizing radiation from nature, which we also call "background radiation" or "baseline radiation". For example, when you eat a banana, go to the beach to sunbathe, or take a flight... the average natural radiation received by each person on earth is about 2.4mGy per year, which is equivalent to a pelvic CT scan.

Therefore, pregnant mothers do not need to be afraid of "X-rays" or "CT scans" during pregnancy.