Sunita Williams and her fellow astronaut Barry Butch Wilmore are facing extreme health conditions since they have been stuck in space for more than 60 days now.
What was supposed to be a 10 day mission, turned out to be one of the most worrying horrors as Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams and her fellow mate Barry Butch Wilmore have been stuck since June.
Health concerns in space
Prolonged stays in space have elevated extreme health concerns such as increased red blood cell destruction, DNA damage, and cardiovascular issues along with concerning cognitive health issues due to space radiation.
Experts stated that it can cause a huge threat to the DNA of the astronaut plus exposure to space radiation can also destroy red blood cells. In space, a human body can destroy up to 3 million red blood cells per second.
The shift in body fluids in space leads to different kinds of changes in RBCs in the body. Astronauts lose up to over 10 percent of liquid in their blood vessels.
Genetic disorders also occur due to DNA strand breaks and mutations which are caused by space radiation, consisting of high-energy particles. Microgravity and radiation can impair blood cell production and function. Microgravity can also affect fluid distribution, impacting RBC production.
Dr. Guy Trudel, physician who is a professor of Ottawa and a researcher at the Ottawa Hospital said that, “Space anemia has consistently been reported when astronauts return to Earth since the first space mission, and we didn’t know why.” He further said, “Our study shows that upon arriving in space, more red blood cells are destroyed and this continues for the entire duration of the astronaut’s mission.”
[Source: the Indian Express]
A report published in the American Heart Association stated, “Deep space exploration is dangerous for many reasons, but we need to know as much as possible about the adverse health effects so we can protect humans from stressors, before, during and after exploration-type space missions.” A professor of cardiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City observed this in an experiment.
