Are some patients at greater risk for radiation injury than others?
Some rare health conditions render patients highly sensitive to radiation, e.g. patients with the homozygous form of the ataxia telangiectasia gene, or patients with Fanconi disease. Diseases such as collagen vascular diseases and diabetes mellitus are also suspected in rendering patients more susceptible to injury. Diabetes compromises the vascular supply and this leads to a greater risk for long-term complications. The reasons why some patients with collagen vascular disease are more sensitive to radiation are unknown. Moreover, having the disease does not systematically predispose patients to heightened sensitivity. Only a few patients with collagen vascular disease have been identified to have greater radiation sensitivity. Whether or not the skin type of an individual is correlated with sensitivity for radiation induced erythema is still a matter of discussion.
