How to Test for Gadolinium Poisoning

Gadolinium, a very rare metal, is used to enhance magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) images. Gadolinium poisoning can occur in patients with kidney disease who have been injected with the substance before getting an MRI or MRA. In these cases, patients develop a rare disease called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis/nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy (NFS/NSD). Symptoms of gadolinium poisoning and NSF/NSD include allergic reactions like rashes, itching, hives and swelling; red or dark patches on the skin; hardening and/or tightening of the skin; and stiffness and/or pain in the bones, muscles and joints. An official diagnosis of NSF/NSD is obtained through a punch skin biopsy to identify the presence of gadolinium in the tissue and dermis. Because NSF/NSD tends to progress rapidly, early diagnosis is important.

Instructions

• 1

  Consult with a doctor about getting a punch skin biopsy.

• 2

  Allow a medical professional to perform the punch skin biopsy. This is done on an outpatient basis under a local anesthetic. A very small sample of your skin is removed with a "punch instrument" and then analyzed to determine whether you suffer from NSF/NSD.

• 3

  Discuss the results with your doctor.

• 4

  Consider various treatment options. Unfortunately, NSF/NSD is not curable, and there are no consistently successful treatment options. However, some treatments have worked in certain patients.

• 5

  Understand the importance of early treatment. As reported by Mayo Clinic, "NFS/NFD can start and progress quite quickly, and then stop within a few months. But in that time it can cause severe disability, even death."