Were the makers of a toxic MRI imaging injection aware how debilitating gadolinium is to people with kidney problems?

Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis also called Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NSF/NFD) is a rare disease. NSF didn’t exist until 1997 when gadolinium was first used to obtain a brighter image for MRIs and MRAs (magnetic imaging angiography) scans. Gadolinium is FDA approved for MRI but not MRA.

The only way you can get Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis is if you had kidney problems or kidney disease at the time you were injected with gadolinium. People who are not prone to kidney problems or kidney disease do not acquire Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis.

For a person with normally functioning kidneys, gadolinium is eliminated from the body in less than two hours. However, in people with kidney problems, it might take up to 36 hours to eliminate toxic gadolinium.

NSF symptoms include: Swelling and tightening of the skin, skin that inhibits flexibility, burning and itchy skin, skin lesions, muscle weakness, deep bone pain, and hypertension.

Symptoms can appear from one week to 18 months later. There is no successful treatment to improve the quality of life and NSF/NSD may lead to death caused by renal failure complications. However, by improving renal function, NSF is slowed or arrested and in many cases allows for gradual reversal of the process over time.

In June 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advisory about gadolinium injections for MRIs and how people with kidney problems and kidney disease are impacted by the debilitating Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis and Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy.

In May 2007, the FDA sent out a black box warning. What happened from June 2006 to May 2007? How many patients were negatively affected? Did MRI imaging companies adhere to testing kidney patients or providing backup dialysis after the gadolinium injections? NSF affects a small percentage of people but that percentage is growing especially since symptoms are not instant.

Gadolinium is a poison. It is also using in x-ray imaging, microwave applications, compact disks, and nuclear reactors. Manufacturers of gadolinium injects include General Electric, GE Healthcare, Bayer, Bayer Healthcare, Tyco Healthcare, and Bracco Diagnostics.

How can it be that the manufacturers of MRI imaging ingredients didn’t know how destructive gadolinium could be on compromised kidneys?