An injectable dye used in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans has been linked to a disease known as NSF/NFD (nephrogenic systemic fibrosis/nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy) and is currently the subject of at least one lawsuit. The dye, called gadolinium, is known on the market as OptiMARK.

The controversy

When you have an MRI, doctors inject you with a dye that helps to differentiate between normal and abnormal tissues in the body. With most people, the dye is removed naturally through the body via the kidneys. However, this is not always the case for people with kidney disease. It has been reported that a woman in Tennessee who has kidney disease was injected with the dye and is now partially paralyzed and has experienced kidney failure. She has sued the company that makes the drug, Tyco International Limited, alleging that they knew about the drugs risks, but continued to market it.

The specifics

In certain cases, patients who have had the dye injected into them have shown signs of NSF/NFD, which include extreme thickening of the skin around the elbows and knees, leg, knee and elbow pain as well as difficulty walking.

According to reports, victims of the disease often experience burning or itching in the affected areas where the skin has thickened and may find that they become less mobile as time goes on. Unfortunately, severe cases often force victims to become bedridden or wheelchair bound. In some cases, such as in the recent lawsuit filed, the thickened skin severely affects a person’s internal organs and may cause failure of those organs and even death.

The drug was approved for use in 1988, but because so little is known about NSF/NFD, links to the drug and the disease haven’t fully surfaced until recently. A procedure known as extracorporeal photopheresis may be able to assist those that suffer from the disease. The process involves extracting one’s blood, exposing it to ultraviolet light and then putting in back in the body to better help fight the disease.

Has this happened to you?

We are attempting to discover additional information on what role this dye may play in people contracting NSF/NFD and just how large this problem may be. If you have had adverse affects from a dye used during an MRI similar to what has been described above, contact an attorney to discuss your rights.