Scientific Research Establishes Personal Injury Vicitims Suffer Long-Lasting Pain

Posted on March 24, 2008 by Christopher McKinney
A recent study provides scientific proof that car accident victims aren't nuts, aren't faking, aren't gaming the system; they really are in pain.

In a study published last week in the journal Archives of Surgery, researchers tracked 3,047 patients ages 18 to 84 from 14 U.S. states who survived an acute traumatic injury.  A year after the injury, 63 percent reported that they still experienced pain related to the injury, with most having pain in more than one region of the body.

On average, the patients assessed their pain at 5.5 on a 10-point scale -- a level at which they would be expected to have moderate to severe interference with daily activities.

The American Pain Foundation, a Baltimore-based advocacy group, said the financial cost exacted by chronic pain in the United States -- including health-care expenses, lost income and lost productivity -- is estimated at $100 billion a year.

Source: Reuters
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MRI Contrast Agent May Cause Nephrogenic Systemi Fibrosis

Posted on March 11, 2008 by Christopher McKinney
Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) or Nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy is a rare and serious syndrome that involves fibrosis of skin, joints, eyes, and internal organs. Its cause is associated with exposure to gadolinium (which is frequently used as a contrast substance for MRIs) in patients with severe kidney failure. It does not have a genetic basis.  NSF causes thickening or tightening of the skin and connective tissues, which severely limits a patient’s ability to move, and it also causes pain, muscle weakness, scarring of internal organs and difficulty bending joints. It seems that patients’ lives are potentially at risk because of the damage to their organs, and destroyed by their inability to move.

Last year the FDA asked manufacturers to include a new boxed warning with gadolinium contrast informing health care providers that patients with severe kidney insufficiency who receive gadolinium contrast are at risk for developing NSF/NFD. Additionally, the warning states that patients with liver problems are also at risk for developing NSF/NFD if they are experiencing kidney problems.

Legal action is now being taken against the manufacturers of Gadolinium based on the premise that these companies knew that gadolinium is toxic and, if misused, could lead to serious injury. Accordingly, these companies should have properly designed and tested the gadolinium MRI contrast and given more consideration to vulnerabilities of the different types of patients who would be using the contrast, in this case, patients with kidney disease or renal dysfunction.
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