MRI Scan Contrast Agent Causes NSF

Gadodiamide based contrast agents used in MRI have been found to release the highly toxic metal Gadolinium and cause a new disease termed Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis, NSF.
Since at least 1993 millions, possibly hundreds of millions, have been affected. It seems to be health-politically incorrect to disseminate information about NSF to health professionals and patients alike. MRI is the “(w)holy cow” of allopathy, “you shall not taint its image”.

Physicians are not aware of NSF and hence fail to diagnose. Symptoms of early stage or less severe stage can easily be mis-diagnosed.

There is no cure and nobody in allopathy seems to be interested in finding one as it would require to expose that the contrast agent in MRI is the cause. This has political and legal consequences as well, a situation to be avoided at all costs, so it seems.

When a physician states “it is unethical and risky to use this contrast agent” and consequently refuses to use it he will face a libel case. This sends a clear message to all physicians: “do not stop using our contrast agent and do not make negative statements or we will sue you”.

As evidence for this remark I refer to “GE Healthcare vs Henrik Thomsen”,
The High Court of Justice
Queen’s Bench Division
Claim No. HO 08X01610

This is an ongoing case and I’ll be glad to send you court documents as attachments.

My primary concern are the NSF patients, those who have been diagnosed with NSF which are a few hundreds only, and those who suffer from it and have no idea that they have NSF and why they have it which may be millions.

NSF was first identified in 1997 by Dr Thomas Grobner in Austria and published in The Lancet in September 2000 (Cowper et al). It was termed Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy, NFD, at the time and renamed in 2005 to Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis, NSF.

The cause or causes were unknown. The cause was discovered in 2006 by Dr Henrik Thomsen, University Clinic Herlev, Copenhagen, Denmark. The contrast agent, a gadodiamide, released the toxic metal Gadolinium during MRI.

The only contrast agent used at Herlev was Omniscan made by GE Healthcare. There are other brands of gadodiamides, Dotarem, Magnevist, etc … if these also release gadolinium is not known.

NSF symptoms:

Patients with NSF describe swelling and tightening of the skin, usually limited to the extremities, but sometimes involving the trunk. The condition may develop over a period of days or several weeks. The swelling inhibits the movement of joints, their flexion and extension, resulting in contractures.

Severely affected patients may be unable to walk and fully extend the joints of their arms, hands, legs and feet. Complaints of muscle weakness are common. The skin changes may start as reddened or darkened patches, papules or plaques. In time the skin may feel “woody” and the surface may resemble the texture of the peel of an orange.

Patients may experience burning, itching or sharp pain in areas of involvement.
Radiography may reveal calcifications of the soft tissue.
Deep bone pain has been described in the hips and rips.
The skin lesions are commonly symmetrical with zones between the ankles and thighs most commonly involved, followed by involvement between the wrists and upper arms.

Hand and foot swelling with blister like lesions has also been reported. Some patients have reported yellow papules or plaques around or near the eyes.

Rapid, new onset of fluctuating hypertension of unknown cause prior to the onset of skin lesions.

As NSF is a rare, relative recent diagnosis, the natural history of the disease is not well understood. Complete spontaneous healing in a patient with ongoing kidney disease has not been reported yet. Several patients with NSF have died as a result of complications with their kidney disease or surgery.

How widespread is NSF?

Omniscan is in use since 1993, some fifty million MRIs using Omniscan were performed since and this number is growing daily. The procedure relies on kidney function and lymph function to flush the contrast agent out.

In February 07 the European Union banned Omniscan for use in patients with “reduced renal function”. while the FDA issued a warning about all gadodiamides and recommended “use only if necessary” some weeks earlier.

Many GPs do not know about NSF. When they encounter the above symptoms they will hardly question the patient about MRI and what contrast agent was used. Hence most cases will go undetected and symptoms attributed to other conditions. There could be thousands of NSF cases out there, it could be millions. There are no official incident rates.

What can be done?

What I said about GPs also accounts for CAM therapists. While it may be difficult to get the message to GPs I am hopeful the word can be spread among CAM therapists.

It requires concerted actions to identify NSF patients – and develop a cure.

26. January 2010