Gadolinium Attorneys - Birmingham Alabama

Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis

The law firm of Yearout & Traylor located in Birmingham, Alabama is dedicated to protecting the rights of people injured through the fault of another person. The firm is a leader in championing the right of the individual victim in many areas of the law, including medical malpractice and drug litigation and products liability. We have successfully litigated all of those claims. You can review examples of our verdicts and settlements covering a wide variety of litigation including Fen-Phen, Rezulin, and breast implants to name a few. Currently the firm is working to help victims of Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, which can be caused by and has been linked to injectable dye contrast used in either MRAs or MRIs.

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), also known as nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy (NFD) is a rare, but progressive condition which causes the skin and connective tissue to thicken and can lead to loss of mobility and death. The disease starts in the skin of the arms and legs and spreads to other parts of the body and internal organs. It can cause the skin to change color, often to pink or orange and then brown, and can cause the skin to stiffen and develop a "woody" or hard texture. The skin can also lose its hair and pigment. It is a painful condition, and the limbs affected become difficult to move. After the initial symptoms develop, the disease can spread to other parts of the body, including internal organs, and eventually can lead to death. Potential medical treatment may include a kidney transplant to treat NSF/NFD. This condition could start in as little as two days and up to 18 months after the patient was injected with a contrast agent during an MRI or MRA.

The FDA announced on May 23, 2007, that it was requiring all manufacturers of all gadolinium based contrast agents used to enhance images during MRA and MRI procedures to include a new Black Box Warning on their labels. Essentially, the warning would state that patients with severe kidney insufficiency who receive gadolinium based agents are at risk for developing a debilitating and potentially fatal disease. The warning would also state that liver transplant patients or those with chronic liver disease are similarly at risk if they are suffering severe kidney insufficiency. Neonates and infants up to 1 year of age may also be at risk.

Gadolinium is contained in five injectable dye contrast agents approved for use in the United States: Magnevist, Ominiscan, OptiMARK, MultiHance, and Prohance. Those most commonly associated with the disease have been Ominscan, Magnivist, and OptiMARK.

NSF/ NFD has thus far been observed almost exclusively in patients with kidney disease or renal dysfunction. NSF/NFD leads to thickened, rough and/or hard skin, which can sometimes lead to limbs becoming difficult or even impossible to move. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with NSF or NFD, or have even had an MRI or MRA using a gadolinium based contrast agent, and have developed any of the following symptoms, you may have the right to compensation:

• burning
• itching
• swelling
• hardening and tightening of the skin
• red or dark patches on the skin
• yellow spots on the whites of the eyes
• joint stiffness and trouble moving or straightening arms, hands, legs, or feet
• pain deep in the hip bones or ribs
• muscle weakness

For more information you may contact us as well as your heath care provider. You may also want to look at the FDA Public Health Advisories issued on this condition: The original release, June 8, 2006, is available here, this was followed by a December 22, 2006, updated release which is available here. The most recent update is dated May 23, 3007, which is available here. You can read the FDA information released to healthcare professionals here. You can find answers to some questions here.

You can reach a Yearout & Traylor lawyer toll free at 1-800-226-6116. Ask to speak to Trey Traylor, who will be happy to assist you with your case. If you prefer, please feel free to contact us by e-mail. Please be sure to include your name, address, telephone number (if you wish to be called), email address and the exact nature of your question, so that our lawyers can provide you with the specific information you need.

Our law offices are in Birmingham, Alabama, and most clients come from Alabama and Georgia, though we have helped clients throughout the United States. Our personal injury and civil litigation lawyers receive many cases from the Alabama cities of Bessemer, Mountain Brook, Homewood, Fairfield, Gadsden, Jasper, Mobile, Montgomery, Huntsville, and Tuscaloosa, as well as the Georgia cities of Atlanta, Macon, and Savannah.