Hematological parameters and X-ray exposure among medical radiation workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

Background

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of occupational exposure to X-ray on hematological parameters.

Research design and methods

A systematic search was conducted in the Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases up to April 2020. The methodological quality was assessed by Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist . The random-effects model was used to estimate the effect size (standard difference in means (SDMs))

Results

Out of 1750 identified citations, ten studies met the inclusion criteria The overall effect size did not show any significant difference between the two groups (SMDs ranged from −0.382 ± 0.29 for white blood cells (WBC), 0.213 ± 0.40 for platelet, −0.323 ± 0.0.16 for mean corpuscular volume (MCV), 0.553 ± 0.41 for mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), −1.615 ± 1.41 for monocyte, 0.418 ± 0.49 for lymphocyte (P-value>0.05). Only the effect size of red blood cells was significantly higher than that of the control group (SMD = 1.06 ± 0.28; 95% CI: 0.504, 1.615; P-value = 0.001).

Conclusion

The long-term and low-dose radiation may have no significant effect on blood parameters. Future studies are suggested to use other tests such as dicentric chromosome assay (DCA), cytogenetic tests, and modern tests besides blood count parameters.

KEYWORDS:

• Blood cells
• radiation
• occupation
• systematic review
• meta-analysis

Article highlights

• The overall effect size of changes in hematological parameters did not show any significant difference between the two groups.

• Only the effect size of red blood cells was significantly higher than that of the control group

• The long-term and low-dose radiation may have no significant effect on blood parameters.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Clinical Research Development Center of Taleghani and Imam Ali hospitals, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran, for the support, cooperation, and assistance throughout the study period.

Declaration of interests

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The protocol was approved by the ethics committee of Kermanshah University of Medical

Sciences (No. 980,500).

Authors’ contributions

S Salehi Zahabi and M Mirzaei conceived of the idea for this review, wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and incorporated contributions from all the other authors. S Vaziri contributed to the conception of the review, contributed to the run of literature search and. revised the manuscript at the revising stage. M Arab-Zozani and M Mirzaei conducted the literature search and the meta-synthesis. M Mirzaei, K Salehi Zahabi, and F Saba completed the screening, data extraction, and quality appraisal under the supervision of S Salehi Zahabi, K Salehi Zahabi and F Saba provided peer consultation on the design of the review. All authors contributed to the validity checks on the meta-synthesis of the data. All authors also commented on the drafts and approved the final manuscript.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/17474086.2022.2096001

Additional information

Funding

This paper was funded by Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (980500).