Gadolinium, a popular contrast dye used in MRIs and MRAs, has been linked to serious adverse effects such as gadolinium deposition disease. This painful and debilitating condition occurs when gadolinium accumulates in the brain and other parts of the body.
Symptoms of Gadolinium Deposition Disease
- Persistent headache
- Bone and joint pain
- Nausea and/or Vomiting
- Cognitive Impairment
- Clouded mentation often described as “brain fog”
- Significant pain in the arms and legs, sometimes in the torso
- Feeling of sharp pins and needles
- Sharp, cutting or burning pain in body
Products Linked to Gadolinium Deposition Disease
The following products are linked to gadolinium disease: Ablavar®, Dotarem®, Clariscan®, Omniscan®, MultiHance®, Magnevist®, Eovist®, Magnegita®, Gado-MRT®, ProHance®, OptiMARK®, Primovist, Gadovist®, Gadavist®, Magnetol®, and others.
What is Gadolinium?
Gadolinium is an ingredient in contrast dyes that are injected into patients before they have a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. Gadolinium enhances the MRI image, creating a clearer picture that helps a doctor diagnose certain medical condition. The problem is that gadolinium does not leave the body after the MRI. Instead, it accumulates in the brain and other parts of the body, putting the patient at risk for gadolinium deposition disease.
What is Gadolinium Storage Condition?
Gadolinium Storage Condition is a medical condition in which a person has normal kidney function but they have excess gadolinium in their body. A person with this condition may not have any noticeable symptoms due to gadolinium in their body, but they still have accumulations of gadolinium in their brain and other tissues.
What is Gadolinium Deposition Disease?
Gadolinium Deposition Disease is a medical condition in which a person has normal kidney function, but develops symptoms of gadolinium disease. These symptoms appear anywhere from a few hours to several weeks after they are injected with gadolinium. The symptoms are often painful and debilitating, and they may persist for several weeks, months, or years.
Study Finds Gadolinium in Brains of MRI Patients
A number of recent studies have found gadolinium deposits in the brains of people who underwent MRIs. One study published by the Mayo Clinic in the journal Radiology gathered evidence from patients who died and donated their bodies to medical research after undergoing multiple MRIs involving gadolinium dyes during their lifetime. The researchers found that patients who had undergone MRI still had gadolinium in their brain tissue, where none of the patients who did not undergo MRIs had gadolinium in their brains.
Kidney and Liver Disease May Increase Risk of Gadolinium Toxicity
Gadolinium is a popular contrast dye used in MRIs and MRAs. Patients with kidney disease or chronic liver disease are at risk for developing gadolinium deposition disease. The reason for this is that for gadolinium contrasts to be effective, they must be given in doses three times more than that approved by the FDA. Those patients with kidney disease or chronic liver disease are unable to process and eliminate that amount of dye from the body.
Side Effects of Gadolinium
- Burning
- Itching
- Swelling
- Hardening and tightening of the skin
- Red or dark patches on the skin
- Yellow spots on the whites of the eyes
- Stiffness in joints and trouble moving or straightening the arms, hands, legs, or feet
- Pain deep in the hip bones or ribs
- Muscle weakness
- Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis
- Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy
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