What is nephrogenic system fibrosis?
Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis is a rare disease that occurs mainly in people with advanced kidney failure with or without dialysis. Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis may resemble skin diseases, such as scleroderma and scleromyxedema, with thickening and darkening developing on large areas of the skin.
What causes nephrogenic fibrosis?
What causes nephrogenic systemic fibrosis? Most, if not all, cases of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis are caused by exposure to gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA). Exposure occurs when the chemical element gadolinium is used to enhance images gathered in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Can nephrogenic systemic fibrosis be cured?
here is no cure for nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, and no treatment is consistently successful in halting or reversing the progression of the disease.
What is a risk factor for the development of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis?
Conclusion: A combination of factors, including altered kidney function, inflammatory burden, and exposure to gadolinium-based contrast agents may all play a role in development of NSF. Alternative imaging should be considered in patients with these factors.
Does gadolinium affect the liver?
Gadolinium has been shown to be deposited in the liver after the administration of gadodiamide (Omniscan; GE Healthcare, Oslo, Norway) (5), and to our knowledge there is no clinical evidence of hepatic fibrosis in the setting of NSF.
How common is nephrogenic systemic fibrosis?
General Discussion. Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a rare disorder that occurs in some individuals with reduced kidney function, who have been exposed to an intravenous contrast material that contains gadolinium. A contrast material is a dye that is sometimes used during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Can gadolinium damage kidneys?
Gadolinium-containing contrast agents may increase the risk of a rare but serious disease called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis in people with severe kidney failure. Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis triggers thickening of the skin, organs and other tissues.
How long does gadolinium stay in your body?
With normal kidney function, most of the gadolinium is removed from your body in the urine within 24 hours. If you have acute renal failure or severe chronic kidney disease and receive a gadolinium-based contrast agent, there may be a very small risk of developing a rare condition.
What are the side effects of gadolinium?
The most common side effects include injection site pain, nausea, itching, rash, headaches and dizziness. Serious but rare side effects such as gadolinium toxicity and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, or NSF, are most often seen in patients with severe kidney problems.
What are the dangers of gadolinium?
How does gadolinium affect the brain?
In 2017, the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) Safety Committee claimed that no direct evidences from human beings or animal studies demonstrated any harmful effects related to the gadolinium deposition in the brain.
What is nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF)?
Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), also known as nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy, occurs almost exclusively in patients with renal impairment and is associated with administration of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) used in MRI .
Does gadolinium cause nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy?
However, there is growing concern about the use of gadolinium contrast agents in the presence of severe renal insufficiency, because of increasing reports of nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy (NFD)/nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), associated with the exposure to certain gadolinium-containing contrast agents.
Are gadolinium-based contrast agents safe?
The American College of Radiology (ACR) has divided gadolinium-based contrast agents into three groups reflecting their associated risk of NSF (Group I: highest risk; Group II: very low risk; Group III: likely very low risk but limited data available) 9.
What is transmetallation of gadolinium?
This could be due to transmetallation, which is the replacement of the gadolinium from the chelate and forming a free gadolinium ion, free gadolinium ions may then deposit in different tissues and result in inflammation and fibrosis. Low stability gadolinium contrast media show the strongest association with NSF 3 .