The level of lymphocytes in the peripheral blood as a criterion of the degree of severity of acute radiation sickness (based on materials from the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station)

A study was made of the peripheral blood lymphocyte level as a function of gamma-radiation dose after single gamma-radiation attack resulted from Chernobyl disaster. After the initial drop an average level of lymphocytes was stabilized by day 2 after exposure and no further systematic decrease in the number of lymphocytes occurred. The accuracy of prognostication of the severity of acute radiation sickness, determined by the average lymphocyte level on days 3-6 amounted to as low as 50%. However, when the neighbouring, by the severity, groups of patients were taken into account, the accuracy was 88%.