According to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacist, clinicians must not expose patients with moderate to end-stage kidney disease to a gadolinium-containing contrast agent. If exposure is necessary, prompt dialysis after the imaging procedure should be considered.In the nearly seven months since that announcement, FDA said it had received reports of the skin disorder developing after patients' exposure to gadolinium-containing contrast agents other than Omniscan. Also, some of the patients had received the contrast agent as part of magnetic resonance imaging. Some had even received the agent in doses not considered high by FDA standards.
Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis or nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy is characterized by areas of tight, rigid skin. Patients may experience burning, itching, swelling, and hardening of the skin. Stiffness in the joints may develop, making it difficult for patients to move or straighten their arms, hands, legs, or feet. Patients may feel pain deep in the hip bones or ribs and have muscle weakness in general.
(Written December 2006 by http://www.ashp.org/s_ashp/article_news.asp?CID=167&DID=2024&id=18001)
