How harmful is CT to children?

CT scan is a relatively accurate way to diagnose diseases, especially brain diseases. Doctors will mostly require patients to undergo CT scans. Whether it is adults or children, frequent CT scans will have certain negative effects on the body. So how much harm does CT scan do to children? Although this is a very accurate way to find the cause of the disease, it is also harmful to the body due to the high radiation.

CT examination is one of the common examination methods in clinical practice. We all know that CT examination has certain side effects. Excessive or long-term exposure to CT will have adverse effects on many aspects of the body's systems. CT examination is even more harmful to infants, which mainly manifests in the immune system and hematopoietic function. However, parents do not have to worry too much, because the safety of CT is guaranteed.

When a baby suffers a serious head injury or other injury, the doctor will generally recommend a CT scan to determine whether the baby's brain is damaged. CT scans have certain side effects, and they are more harmful to babies than adults. So how much harm does CT scan do to babies? Let's take a look.

The radiation of CT comes from X-rays, which are high-energy particles. CT is a double-edged sword. When penetrating the human body, it can help people diagnose diseases, but it can also damage human cells and metabolic functions. If you are exposed to CT X-ray radiation for a long time or in excessive amounts, your genes will be damaged, leading to the production of various harmful biological effects, which are mainly manifested in changes in carcinogenic effects, hematopoiesis, fertility, heredity, growth and development, hormones and other aspects. Therefore, CT radiation cannot be ignored.

Studies have shown that infants are more than 10 times more sensitive to CT radiation than adults, and female babies are more sensitive to radiation than male babies. The harm of CT to infants is mainly manifested in the immune system and hematopoietic function. Because the infant's physical development is not yet complete and its ability to resist radiation is not very strong, its body's immunity and hematopoietic function will be temporarily affected after the CT examination. However, parents do not have to be too afraid of CT. The dose of CT for infants has been measured. CT examinations in regular hospitals have controlled the dose of CT radiation in accordance with strict national standards. Moreover, the amount of radiation generated by CT examinations is related to the operation time. The shorter the operation time, the less radiation is received. The examination time for infants and young children is generally 10 seconds, so its safety is guaranteed. Moreover, the X-ray radiation of CT is accumulated over a long period of time. Therefore, it is not very harmful to the baby to have a CT examination occasionally.

This is the end of the introduction to the question of how much harm CT can cause to babies. Generally speaking, it is necessary for doctors to have babies do CT scans. Doctors must weigh the pros and cons of CT scans before writing out the order for the baby. Therefore, parents and friends should not worry too much. As long as the baby is not exposed to CT radiation for a long time, an occasional CT scan once or twice will cause little harm to the baby.