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Date Submitted:
12/12/07
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New Kidney Disease Can Be Fatal
Description:
Kidney disease patients with a newly identified disease called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) are at increased risk of death, U.S. researchers report.
The researchers also concluded that exposure to gadolinium, a contrast agent used in MRI scans, is a significant risk factor for developing NSF, a painful and debilitating condition characterized by a thickening and hardening of the skin. It usually affects the arms and legs but can also affect internal organs. The disease can progress so rapidly that some patients are immobilized and confined to a wheelchair within weeks. The study, led by Jonathan Kay of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, conducted skin examination of 186 kidney dialysis patients. They found that 25 had skin changes consistent with NSF. Within two years, 25 of the 186 patients (24 percent) had died. The death rate for those with NSF was 48 percent, compared to 20 percent for patients without the illness. The Read the Complete Article Similar content: “Incidence of kidney disease very high in India”, in Heart Disease New Medication Slows Rare Kidney Disease, in Arthritis New Medication Slows Rare Kidney Disease, in Alzheimers Epilepsy Causes Few Fatal Car Accidents, in Epilepsy Air Pollution May Up Fatal Stroke Risk, in Stroke |
