Gadolinium under Investigation Due to Pressure From FDA
Recent news has come about that has shed light on a potentially-dangerous situation involving Gadolinium, a substance used to help patients and doctors achieve optimum results from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tests. Although no conclusion has yet been definitively reached, a recent analysis of this chemical has produced extremely disturbing results.
Use of Gadolinium
Gadolinium is a chemical substance that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to aid with MRI tests. This chemical is injected into the patient and acts as a contrast agent so that when it is absorbed by the patient's unhealthy or damaged tissue, the result is that these affected areas appear in a very bright way on the MRI results, making it much easier for doctors to reach a clear and definable diagnosis of the patient's medical condition.
Gadolinium is non-radioactive in nature, and it counteracts quite well with the technology surrounding an MRI. Until recently, no one had any inclination that this chemical posed any sort of threat to patients, and its use has become widely accepted around the world.
Potential Problems with Gadolinium
The potential problems with Gadolinium result from recent statistical findings discovered in Denmark. On May 29, 2006, the Danish Medicines Agency reported that it had learned of 25 cases where patients who had been in contact with this chemical during the previous three months had contracted Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF), and this condition affects patients suffering from kidney failure. NSF is sometimes called Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NFD), and the results of contracting this condition can be severe.
The symptoms associated with NFS/NFD include:
- Tightening and swelling of the skin, usually in the extremities
- Thickening of the skin around the joints, which restricts movement
- Muscle weakness
- Reddened patches on the skin
- Skin texture changes one not dissimilar to an orange peel
- Burning, itching, sharp pains in affected areas
- Calcification of muscle, skin, tendons
- Bone pain in the hips and ribs
- Symmetrical skin lesions, commonly on the ankles and thighs
- Yellow plaques near the eyes
- Hypertension usually precedes skin lesions
Perhaps the worst circumstance surrounding NSF/NSD is that at this point, there is no clear and widely successful treatment for this condition. Although the disease itself is not fatal, the consequential results can be, as below you'll see a few of the problems that have arisen in patients who have this condition:
- Within weeks of onset, many patients become dependent on a wheelchair.
- Several patients have died because of complications from fractures after falls triggered by their mobility problems.
- Many patients complain of maddening pruritus and/or causalgia.
Your Rights
If you or someone you love is experiencing complications stemming from exposure to Gadolinium, the first step you should take is to contact your doctor immediately for a full evaluation. You should also contact an experienced attorney to allow him or her to analyze your situation and to explain the rights and options available to you. There is no time to waste either medically or legally, so get the process of protecting yourself started today.
Images portrayed in this site are not actual clients. It is not implied that images of people on this
site are real or have had their health harmed or affected from Gadolinium-containing agents.
