title: Acute radiation syndrome: assessment and management.
abstract: Primary care physicians may be unprepared to diagnose and treat rare, yet potentially fatal, illnesses such as acute radiation syndrome (ARS). ARS, also known as radiation sickness, is caused by exposure to a high dose of penetrating, ionizing radiation over a short period of time. The time to onset of ARS is dependent on the dose received, but even at the lowest doses capable of causing illness, this will occur within a matter of hours to days. This article describes the clinical manifestations of ARS, provides guidelines for assessing its severity, and makes recommendations for managing ARS victims.
authors: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors: Elizabeth H
authors: EH
authors: Donnelly
authors: Jeffrey B
authors: JB
authors: Nemhauser
authors: James M
authors: JM
authors: Smith
authors: Ziad N
authors: ZN
authors: Kazzi
authors: Eduardo B
authors: EB
authors: Farfán
authors: Arthur S
authors: AS
authors: Chang
authors: Syed F
authors: SF
authors: Naeem
mesh_terms: D054508:Acute Radiation Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D019091:Critical Pathways; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care; D010198:Pancytopenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D011379:Prognosis; D011874:Radiometry; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation / Q000009:adverse effects