Gadolinium Lawsuits
If you or someone you know is suffering from gadolinium poisoning, you must consult our lawyers and attorneys immediately. There may be a Gadolinium Class Action lawsuit with compensation from a cash settlement. We are currently investigating the alleged causal link between gadolinium and NFD, although there is no direct evidence as of yet that establishes a secure connection. Our vast experience with defective drugs enables us to move quickly and get you the justice you deserve.
Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) Linked to Gadolinium Based Dye Used in Patients
Of the most recently reported Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis NSF cases is a 38 year old woman named Sarah Francella who resides in Santa Barbara, CA. Francella, who has been suffering from NSF since an MRI 2 years ago, is enduring the immobilizing aftermath of Gadolinium. With very little research and information available regarding nephrogenic systemic fibrosis this is an uphill battle for many that has just begun and likely won’t be ending soon.
Over a 1,000 cases of Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) are being investigated nationwide. With growing concern regarding Gadolinium use, a contrast agent used during Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), NSF is making its way to the forefront of both patient and physician concern. Though rare, NSF is a severely painful and sometimes fatal disease that has no known cure. Most common in patients with prior kidney problems, NSF develops 2-3 months following an MRI. Patients who develop this condition experience calcification and hardening beneath the skin. This damage is irreversible, as well as extremely uncomfortable.Questions remain whether or not this is truly a safe compound or not. There have been reported cases of renal (kidney) problems in some patients. The problem seems to occur with patients with renal failure that have had to undergo dialysis.
Gadolinium is a clear, non-radioactive liquid approved by the FDA as an injectible contrast agent used during magnetic resonance imaging tests (MRI). These advanced tests use high-powered radio waves to look inside the body, and doctors use Gadolinium to provide better contrast between healthy and unhealthy tissues.
When Gadolinium fluid is injected into the veins it is absorbed by the unhealthy tissue, and these areas appear as very bright compared with the other areas of the body, giving doctors a clear picture of which organs or areas of the body are abnormal.
Gadolinium allergic reaction: Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy Nephrogenic Systemic FibrosisThe Food and Drug Administration is currently investigating a connection between gadolinium-based chemical agents and the disease called Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis, sometimes called Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NFD), which affects patients suffering from kidney failure. The FDA believes that a link could exist between NSF and gadolinium after the Danish Medicines Agency reported 25 cases on May 29, 2006. Of these cases, 20 were reported in Denmark and five in Austria. All of these patients developed NSF within at least three months after contact with gadolinium.
The symptoms of Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis generally include:
- Tightening and swelling of the skin, usually in the extremities
- Fibromyalgia type symptoms.
- 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
The relatively rapid onset of symptoms combined with the severity of the condition has baffled doctors, and as such there is no current successful treatment for NFD.
FDA Boxed Warning for Gadolinium
FDA notified healthcare professionals of the Agency’s request for the addition of a boxed warning and new warnings about the risk of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) to the full prescribing information for all gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs). The new prescribing information FDA is requesting highlights and describes the risk for NSF following exposure to a GBCA in patients with acute or chronic severe renal insufficiency (glomerular filtration rate <30 mL/min/1.73 square meters) and patients with acute renal insufficiency of any severity due to the hepato-renal syndrome or in the peri-operative liver transplantation period. Healthcare professionals should avoid the use of a GBCA in these patients unless the diagnostic information is essential and not available with non-contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.
