Gadolinium causes rare deadly skin disease

Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis

or

Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy

 NSF is a life-threatening disease caused by gadolinium based MRI contrast agents.

NSF was first diagnosed in 1998. In early 2006, a researcher in Norway noted that all of his patients with the disease were patients with kidney failure who previously had gadolinium contrast agent MRIs.

 Studies since then have confirmed that most or all people diagnosed with NSF had gadolinium based MRI contrast agents and had kidney failure.

Gadolinium is a heavy metal which is used as a contrast agent in some MRIs. It is not used in CT scans. The Gadolinium is toxic, but is temporarily encapsulated in a chelate protecting it from exposure to the body during the scan. The dye is typically cleared out of the body through the kidneys within less than an hour. However, the dye is not cleared from the body quickly in people with kidney failure. Consequently, the chelate wears off, and the gadolinium is dispersed throughout the body, causing NSF. 

Typically, NSF/NFD appears as a white, blister-like lesion on the skin.  The skin will start to swell, tighten, become itchy and irritable, and the skin will develop a leathery/woody texture. Frequently, there are additional complaints of bone pain. Many people end up in wheelchairs because they can't straighten their legs. In the most severe cases, the fibrosis can attack the heart, causing death from heart failure. The only way to properly diagnose NSF is through a skin biopsy to test for the presence of Gadolinium. Gadolinium is not naturally present in the human body.

Our firm represents many people with NSF throughout the country.