Lawsuit Alleges MRI Dye Caused NSF

St. Louis, MILawsuits are now being filed against the makers of MRI gadolinium-based contrast dye alleging that the dye has caused Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) in patients who had kidney problems prior to undergoing their MRI. The suits allege that patients were not properly warned about the risk of NSF and the dye's makers did not adequately test their product.

NSF is a very serious condition that currently has no cure. Patients who develop it experience high blood pressure, burning and swelling and hardening of their skin, especially around the joints. People with advanced NSF often wind up with limbs that are "frozen" in position and find themselves unable to walk because their skin and joints are immobilized. NSF can paralyze internal organs, resulting in death.

One recently filed lawsuit alleges that a woman who was given gadolinium contrast dye was later diagnosed with NSF. The plaintiff says she has suffered permanently disabling injury and has been disfigured and impaired by the NSF.

Because not a lot is known or understood about NSF, patients are often confused as to whether or not they have developed the condition. Many write to LawyersandSettlements.com concerned that they are experiencing burning and itching sensations combined with pain in their hips and feet following an MRI. Others say that they are suffering from painful lesions and bone and muscular pain. Most are not positive that they have developed NSF but are concerned that they may have.

The sad truth is that if they have had an MRI with a gadolinium contrast dye and they had kidney problems prior to that MRI, then there is a very real possibility that they have developed NSF. Researchers have now linked NSF with patients who have kidney failure and receive gadolinium contrast dyes before an MRI.

A study published in the June Issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases found that of 19 patients with NSF treated at a St. Louis hospital dialysis unit, 14 had undergone an MRI with a contrast agent in the previous year. Of the remaining five patients, four were exposed to gadolinium between 16 and 68 months prior to being diagnosed with NSF. Only one of the 19 patients with NSF had no exposure to gadolinium prior to developing the condition.

Furthermore, the report found that the risk of NSF increased with an increase in number of MRIs. Nine of the patients with NSF were exposed to gadolinium contrast agents in the year before diagnosis. As a result, researchers recommend that gadolinium-based contrast agents should be avoided in patients with renal failure.

If you or someone you love has been harmed by the use of a gadolinium-based contrast dye, it is vital that you contact an attorney as soon as possible. Unfortunately, not all victims live long enough to see their lawsuits resolved, so the sooner a lawsuit is filed, the better your chances are of seeing a resolution.