Mental Disorders in Women Exposed to Radioactive Iodine During Pregnancy

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze mental disorders in a group of pregnant women exposed to radioactive iodine as a result of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident, compared with pregnant women who were not exposed. The analysis covered the period from 1986 to 2017. It was established that the structure of mental morbidity in both study groups showed almost no differences. Somatoform disorders (F45.3 and F45.8) predominated. Cumulative morbidity across all disease categories, 20 years after the accident, was found to be 2-3 times higher in the group of non-exposed women. The obtained data are discussed from the perspective of the predominance of psychogenic factors affecting the population during the post-Chernobyl period, which may provoke or exacerbate diseases of various organs and systems.