News Report About Gadolinium Side Effects
There was a recent news article about a woman who recently settled a lawsuit with GE Healthcare after developing nephrogenic systemic fibrosis because of the side effects of gadolinium. GE Healthcare manufactures the FDA approved gadolinium based contrast agent known as Omniscan.
54 year old Margaret Roxbough of Glasgow, Scotland, went for an MRI exam in September 2006. It was a standard procedure, and she was administered with the Omniscan contrast agent to improve the results of the scan. However, neither she nor the doctor knew that she had kidney disease. Without functional kidneys, the body was not able to expel the traces of gadolinium from her body afterwards, and allowing NSF to develop. Although there was “horrendous pain” the next day, the doctor wrote it off as mild side effects of the MRI scan and said they should go away soon enough.
Margaret Roxbough still experiences excruciating pain. The skin on her legs is completely raw and it is too painful to cover it with any type of clothing.
In 2004, two years prior to her scan, a woman in Denmark had died from the symptoms of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. In 2006, it had been noted by Henrik Thomas that all the patients diagnosed with NSF at his hospital had one thing in common – they were injected with Omniscan, the contrast dye produced by GE Healthcare.
Subsequently, Ms. Roxbough had sued GE Healthcare, and the lawsuit was recently settled. The FDA now requires a warning label detailing the risks of NSF on Omniscan agents, as well as all FDA regulated gadolinium based contrast agents.
This could have been avoided had it been known she was suffering from renal disease prior to her MRI scan. It is absolutely crucial that if the doctor suggests the use of a contrast dye for an MRI scan that YOU GET TESTED FOR KIDNEY DISEASE BEFORE THE PROCEDURE to avoid all side effects of gadolinium contrast dye. If you do have a documented history of kidney complications, be sure to discuss the severity of the problems and how risky a gadolinium based contrast agent would be to your health.
Why Are Gadolinium Based Contrast Agents Used?
MRI scans (and MRA scans) are known to produce very detailed images of the inner workings of the body. They are used extensively in the medical field to detect and diagnose many health conditions that could not be found otherwise. However, there are some cases where it is advantageous to use a gadolinium based contrast agent to enhance the quality of the scanned images or to better detect foreign growths inside the body.
Gadolinium is a rare earth lanthanide metal. In its original form, it is a silvery white, malleable and ductile metal. As a free ion, it is a highly toxic element to humans. It must go through a process known as chelation before it can be utilized in practical applications. Chelation is the process of taking a free ion and adding bonds with other organic compounds to prevent it from freely and uncontrollably reacting with other elements and compounds that could have detrimental effects.
The reason gadolinium has found its way into MRI scan applications is because of its strong paramagnetic properties. A paramagnetic metal does not exhibit any magnetic effects in its original state. When placed in an externally applied magnetic field, it will align its molecules parallel to the it, and in turn, create its own magnetic field. They are easily detectable in a strong external magnetic field (such as that produced by an MRI machine), allowing the possibility for much more detailed scans.
Gadolinium based contrast dyes have been manufactured to be safe for the patient and they follow strict FDA regulations to avoid any health complications. However, there are still gadolinium side effects that people must be completely aware of to avoid the risk of harm to themselves.
