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In the event of a nuclear accident and the release of a large amount of radioactive iodine into the air, potassium iodide tablets would help prevent negative effects, since the thyroid gland is saturated with iodine and is no longer taken from the outside .
However, the population has wondered whether these pills should be used in people of all ages, as exposure to radioactive iodine has been found to be less dangerous in people over the age of 40.
Know the risks of your condition.
VUL Santara Clinics Endocrinology Center doctor endocrinologist prof. According to Vaidotas Urbanavičius, if a person is older but healthy and without additional risks, he sees no reason why he should not be given iodine tablets.
At the same time, however, he confirmed that “crochet upright” should not be taken by anyone without exception.
“There are general recommendations from the World Health Organization that the population should be careful and weigh the possible benefits and risks. In some cases, the benefits of taking iodine tablets may outweigh the risks, “he said.
He recalled that potassium iodide tablets are rich in iodine and that higher levels can cause some risks for certain categories of people.
“We may not be able to identify absolute contraindications, but if you are known to be allergic to iodine, you should definitely not use it, although this is rare.
However, with age, the number of comorbid chronic diseases increases, and the number of people with thyroid diseases increases. So there is some cumulative effect of age.
Therefore, those who have used too many iodine-containing products in their lives (such as those with cardiovascular disease) and who have experienced the consequences of their use should obviously abstain from it or consult a doctor about the consequences. by a teacher.
She emphasized that the biggest problem is that higher iodine levels cause an increase in thyroid function. Higher doses of iodine can also suppress thyroid function, but the doctor says it is not that dangerous.
“Therefore, it is worth knowing your condition and the potential risks. It is better to consult a doctor about this. But it is important that people know that information beforehand,” he said.
When excess iodine is lost
In modeling the possibility of a nuclear accident, family doctor Justė Latauskienė however emphasized that after receiving a large amount of radioactive iodine, the thyroid gland would die (in medicine, in some cases a certain radioactive iodine is used to destroy thyroid tissue sick and dangerous or its origin).
“In addition to the hormone produced by the thyroid gland, a person develops a specific coma and dies (fortunately, a replacement can be taken orally, it does not need to be administered, such as insulin). If the thyroid gland kills the attached parathyroid glands to her during death, death can occur in a few hours. And she is not pleasant. Unless you see the reactor through a window, the chances of getting that radioactive iodine are low, “he said.
According to the doctor, no one has performed experiments to calculate how the absorption of radioactive iodine and how much it would cause thyroid cancer.
“But after Chernobyl, children (we’re talking about children under the age of 4 here) who didn’t get iodine prophylaxis had thyroid cancer about 60 times more often than non-Chernobyl children in the next five years.”
The older a person, the lower the frequency, and later “with caution,” until age 40, when iodine prevention does not seem to work. Because drinking so much iodine and the remaining radioactive iodine in the environment, and more than once, is not an innocent thing.
This can lead to further “imbalance” of the thyroid gland, like all medications, an allergic reaction, and generally causes slight inflammation of the skin, especially the face, which can complicate even severe angioedema, itching of the body, and loose stools. Unfortunately, iodine prophylaxis is not possible under certain conditions (eg, Duhring’s dermatitis), but if you have it, you will probably know it, “taught J. Latauskienė.
Don’t need iodine tablets over 40?
When asked what to do for people over 40, and in the event of such an accident, everyone around would take iodine, the doctor responds normally.
“How do you do that? To be glad that perhaps age-induced thyroid metabolism protects against cancer much better than that iodine, it may be to protect all the babies who are still learning to speak, because here is mainly for them, that’s why some iodine is in drops, not tablets.
Theoretically, since you never know what biological age a person is rather than a chronological age, it is probably possible to drink after 40 years if you have enough pills. However, the recommendations are only recommendations, not God’s commandments, “said the specialist.
V. Urbanavičius agreed that even if a person over 40 is healthy and risk-free, this is not a reason not to prescribe such tablets.
However, when asked if radioactive iodine has fewer negative consequences for older people, he partially agreed.
“One, as already mentioned, there are problems with age, so those groups should be selected and not delivered to everyone in a row.
Another thing is that a young person will live longer than an older person, so the younger person will be more affected by the cumulative effects of radiation, “he said.
In turn, Professor V. Urbanavičius also pointed out that in the event of a nuclear accident, not only radioactive iodine would pose a danger to human health.
“Obviously it’s dangerous, but many other isotopes are being released at the time, just a fragment of the entire paddle released during a nuclear accident.”
4 million tablets shipped
The tv3.lt portal recalls that the Ministry of Health recently boasted that it finally received 4 million. shipment of iodine tablets. It will soon be distributed to residents of Vilnius and other districts near the power plant.
According to specialists from the Vilnius Municipality Civil Protection Department, one of the best ways to distribute them is through pharmacies according to an electronic prescription issued to each resident.
“The need of the Vilnius population was presented to the Ministry, as well as its distribution by age groups. The Ministry will inform the municipalities how much is allocated to citizens, what is its validity, how much is assigned to each age group. Upon receiving the pills, they can be distributed to the population.
The municipality of the capital has already taken the initiative and has proposed a decision on how to divide them: the municipality wrote to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania requesting to consider the possibility of distributing potassium iodide preparations through pharmacies according to a electronic prescription for each inhabitant, “commented the Vilnius city municipality about iodine tablets.
To avoid an increase in the workload of health workers due to electronic prescription, it is considered that the most appropriate way to distribute potassium iodide preparations is through the Information System for Collaborative Infrastructure and Health Services Electronics (ESPBI IS). It will be possible to take it for free upon arrival at these pharmacies that have agreed to share it.
“The specialists of the health department of the municipality of the capital have already asked the ministry to organize the creation of an electronic prescription through the ESPBI IS. The working group contacted the pharmacies operating in Vilnius, who gladly agreed to participate in the distribution process of the potassium iodide preparation, ”reads the response sent to the portal.
The shelf life of iodine tablets was also increased a few weeks ago, won’t it expire sooner than they might need? However, after raising this issue at the Seimas Health Affairs Committee meeting, it was emphasized that the risk of a nuclear disaster is virtually “here and now” as soon as the Astrava nuclear power plant begins operating.
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