Mortality and morbidity of chronic lung disease and its morphological features in population of Semipalatinsk region

This work was aimed to study prevalence, morbidity, mortality and morphological features of chronic respiratory pathology (CRP) in population living for a long time at Semipalatinsk region contaminated with radioactive products. We analyzed healthcare reports on prevalence, mortality and morbidity of CRP in population of Semipalatinsk region from 1969 to 2003 and questioned 7 274 residents of Semipalatinsk region using a special ly developed screening questionnaire. The latter considered the radiation related route and clinical status of the person. We have also analysed 631 autopsy reports of died patients with CRP and archive autopsy, biopsy and resected samples from 300 patients with CRP living near the experimental range from their childhood to 2003. The resected and autopsy samples of 22 patients with CRP living at the territories with normal radiation level was the control group. The results showed a tendency to increase in morbidity and mortality of CRP in proportion of the radiation dose and neighbourhood of the living place to the experimental range. The morbidity and mortality of CPR tended to decrease in 1992–2003 when nuclear experiments were stopped. Besides of well known morphological features of CRP we found severe sclerosis of the bronchial walls and interstitial tissue, vascular injuries and haemosiderosis, neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia, dysplasia of bronchial, bronchiolar and alveolar epithelium. These facts suppose the role of radiation as etiological and pathogenic factor of CRP.