Gadolinium is an agent commonly used prior to MRIs. Problems are starting to emerge in those with kidney disease. Lawyers are on to it:
Walker, 71, said he suffers from a rare condition called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, in which skin turns hard and joints become inflexible.He believes he got the condition when he was injected last year at University Hospitals with a prescription drug containing the metal gadolinium before having magnetic resonance imaging.
His lawyers filed a lawsuit last week in U.S. District Court against the makers of the drug, Optimark. The lawsuit comes a few months after the Food and Drug Administration announced an investigation into a possible link between nephrogenic systemic fibrosis and drugs used in MRIs, including Optimark, when injected into patients with kidney ailments.
His lawyers believe their lawsuit is among the first of its kind in the country.
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{ 3 comments }
This should be written under “risks of testing” – for those who think there is no harm in unnecessary testing.
Obviously when a test is really needed, the benefit may well justify the risk. But if it was a “defensive” test, this is unnecessary harm.
This is a generic comment – I don’t know anything about this drug or the magnitude of this risk.
Or even if it is a risk. Anyone want to wait for data?
Most medical tests are done, and drugs given, when people are old and sick, which is when they, well, get sick. It does not necessarily follow that the former caused the latter.
You have a point.
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