Painful condition affecting kidney failure patients increases ris...(to examine a potential association with ...),Health

The investigators devised a simple examination to check for the three skin features of NSF tightening, thickening and darkening and also collected demographic information. Available electronic medical records for participants were analyzed for any history of imaging studies, predominantly MRI examinations, using gadolinium-containing contrast.

Among 186 study participants, 25 (13 percent) were determined to have NSF based on the presence of at least two of the three skin findings. Examination of skin biopsy samples from five study participants supported the examination-based diagnosis of NSF in each. Electronic medical records were available for 90 participants; 17 of those had a skin examination consistent with NSF, all but one with documented prior exposure to gadolinium. The investigators were particularly surprised to find that 48 percent of participants with skin changes of NSF died within two years of their examination. Among participants without NSF, the death rate was 20 percent, which would be expected among patients with advanced kidney failure undergoing long-term hemodialysis treatment.

Our study demonstrates a definite and very strong association between exposure to gadolinium-containing contrast and the subsequent development of NSF, says Kay, an associate clinical professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. We need to address the mechanism by which this devastating disease occurs and develop effective treatment and preventive strategies, so that gadolinium-containing contrast agents which provide important clinical information can be used safely in patients with kidney failure.

At this time, Kay notes, patients scheduled to undergo such i
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