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13 Gadolinium Side Effects

Pamela Nylander PhD — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 08:00:26 +0000

In this article, we have collected 13 side effects of gadolinium contrast dye observed in scientific research.

FDA class warning

In 2017, the FDA required a new class warning for all gadolinium-based MRI contrast agents regarding gadolinium remaining in patients’ bodies (including the brain) for months to years after receiving these drugs¹¹.

They require several actions to alert healthcare professionals and patients about gadolinium safety and ask them to report side effects¹¹.

What is gadolinium?

Gadolinium is a metal belonging to the lanthanides, a series of rare earth elements.

It is widely used as a contrast dye in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

What is a contrast dye?

A contrast dye (or contrast agent) is a substance that improves the discernability between an area of interest and its surroundings within the body in medical imaging.

It makes it easier for the radiologist to differentiate between organs, tissues, or blood vessels.

Gadolinium-based MRI contrast dye

Gadolinium-based dyes are the most commonly used MRI contrast agents⁵^,⁸.

Every year about 30 million MRI scans are enhanced with them worldwide⁴.

Patients are intravenously, or intra-articularly, injected with them before the imaging procedure⁶^,⁷.

Is gadolinium toxic?

Gadolinium is a toxic heavy metal¹^,⁵.

Gadolinium-based dye is more toxic than radioactive iodine contrast agents⁷.

One reason is that gadolinium is similar in size to calcium⁷.

This similarity can generate a competitive reduction of biological processes requiring calcium, causing side effects⁷.

Gadolinium-based contrast dye causes toxicity through the following processes⁷^,⁸:

Cell death
Oxidative stress
Exchange of gadolinium with another metal (such as zinc)
Competition with calcium for cellular processes

Gadolinium-chelator complex

Gadolinium-based contrast dyes consist of gadolinium ions bound tightly to chelating agents to form a stable complex⁸.

Theoretically, the chelating agent makes gadolinium unavailable to interact with body tissues while maintaining its contrast properties⁶^,⁷^,⁸.

How long does gadolinium stay in the body?

Approximately 90% of administered gadolinium contrast dye is excreted by the kidneys in the urine within 24 hours in patients with normal renal function⁶.

Therefore, patients suffering from chronic kidney disease are particularly prone to suffer from gadolinium side effects⁹.

Is gadolinium completely eliminated?

After exposure to gadolinium contrast dye, the metal is not entirely excreted from the human body as previously believed⁷.

Instead, it accumulates in tissues (such as the brain, bone, liver, kidneys, and skin) despite normal renal function⁶^,⁷^,¹⁰.

Furthermore, retention of gadolinium increases following repeated gadolinium contrast dye exposure⁷.

Can gadolinium dissociate from the chelating agent?

Studies have shown that gadolinium can dissociate from the chelating agent and be retained in the human body⁷^,¹⁰.

It then persists in tissues and binds to host chemicals while the chelating agent is eliminated in the urine¹⁰.

The higher the dissociation constant of the gadolinium-based contrast dye, the more likely free gadolinium can be released into the circulation and tissues⁷.

13 Gadolinium side effects

Gadolinium-based contrast dye may cause the following side effects³^,⁷^,⁸^,¹⁰:

Nausea
Vomiting
Headache
Dizziness
Abdominal pain
Itching
Taste disturbance
Skin lesions
Bone and joint pain
Brain fog
Hand and foot numbness
Gait incoordination
Plaques

Gadolinium-induced diseases

Studies have reported that gadolinium contrast dye could cause the following conditions in patients with normal renal function⁷^,⁸^,¹⁰:

Anaphylactic reactions
Renal failure
Pancreatitis
Brain damage
Spinal cord impairment
Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis
Cognitive delay

MRI with or without contrast agent?

MRI contrast dyes, such as gadolinium-based agents, were developed many years after MRI was already in use².

They were initially used for detecting regions of blood-brain barrier disruption in brain imaging⁸.

Since then, gadolinium MRI contrast dyes applications also include⁸:

Tumor diagnosis and staging
Perfusion imaging
Blood vessel imaging
Joint imaging

In light of the side effects and toxicity generated by gadolinium-based contrast dyes during MRI, it is essential to evaluate their necessity before each procedure.

The clinical benefits should outweigh the side effects.

How to remove gadolinium from the body

Here Is How To Remove Gadolinium From The Body Naturally

Is gadolinium radioactive?

While gadolinium is a toxic heavy metal, it is not radioactive.

Summary: 13 Gadolinium side effects

Gadolinium-based contrast dye improves the detail and clarity of diagnostic MRI images.

However, it causes long-term toxicity and side effects.

Studies have shown that following injection with gadolinium, the metal is not completely eliminated from the body.

Instead, it accumulates in tissues where it dissociates from the chelating agent and binds to host chemicals.

Patients have reported neurological, musculoskeletal, dermal, and ocular side effects.

The post 13 Gadolinium Side Effects appeared first on Cilantro News.

How To Remove Gadolinium From The Body Naturally

Pamela Nylander PhD — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 09:02:25 +0000

You will learn how to remove gadolinium from the body and brain naturally in this article.

What is gadolinium?

Gadolinium is a heavy metal belonging to the group of lanthanides^1,2.

This rare-earth element has ferromagnetic properties below, and paramagnetic effects above, its Curie temperature of 20°C (68°F)³.

Gadolinium-based MRI contrast dye

Gadolinium is commonly used as a contrast dye in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

It increases the difference in brightness between an area of interest and the surroundings of MRI images².

Every year about 30 million MRI scans are enhanced with gadolinium-based contrast dyes worldwide⁴.

Is gadolinium-based contrast dye toxic?

Gadolinium is a toxic heavy metal^1,5.

When used as an MRI contrast dye, it is tightly bound to a chelating agent that prevents it from interacting with body tissues^1,6,7.

However, gadolinium-based contrast dye is not completely excreted from the human body after MRI despite normal renal function^1,6,8.

Instead, gadolinium has been detected in tissues such as the brain, bone, liver, kidneys, and skin long after exposure^1,4,6,8.

Once retained in the body, it can dissociate from the chelating agent and cause various side effects.

Related: 13 Gadolinium Side Effects

How to remove gadolinium from the body naturally

If you wonder how to remove gadolinium from the body naturally, here are the five best natural remedies to detox this heavy metal:

1. Activated charcoal

Activated charcoal consists of carbonized carbon, such as burnt coal, wood, or coconut shell⁹.

Thanks to its porous structure, it has a high capacity to adsorb heavy metals and other toxins⁹.

A study reported that activated charcoal could remove different gadolinium-based dyes from patient urine before its discharge into wastewater¹⁰.

Also, another study revealed that activated charcoal eliminated gadolinium from an aqueous solution¹¹.

2. Diatomaceous earth (food grade)

Diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring sedimentary rock.

It consists of silica remains (fossilized skeletons) of phytoplankton.

This acidic rock is soft, highly porous, and crumbles into a grayish or whitish powder.

Diatomaceous earth removes gadolinium from the body

Thanks to its porous structure and its high content of silica (80-90%), diatomaceous earth has powerful detoxification properties.

It adsorbs, amongst others, toxic heavy metals, including cadmium, lead, and arsenic.

Besides, diatomaceous earth also adsorbs gadolinium and other lanthanides, such as lanthanum, samarium, and europium¹².

3. Silica

Silica (SiO2), also called silicon dioxide, is a compound made of two of the Earth’s most abundant elements, silicon, and oxygen.

It is also an effective remedy to remove gadolinium from the body naturally.

Researchers have used silica as a chelating agent in MRI contrast dye to prevent gadolinium from binding to host tissues¹³.

Silica can also remove gadolinium from the body by hemoperfusion, a technique for filtering the blood outside the body¹⁴.

4. Zeolite

Zeolite is a crystalline aluminosilicate mineral that contains alkaline earth metals.

It is known for its adsorption properties thanks to its microporous structure and its ion-exchange lability.

Zeolite is often used as a chelating agent in MRI contrast dyes to diminish the toxic effects of gadolinium in the body^15,16,17.

Moreover, a study revealed that different zeolites could naturally remove gadolinium ions from solutions¹⁸.

5. N-Acetylcysteine

N-Acetylcysteine is a non-essential amino acid derived from cysteine.

Thanks to its sulfhydryl content, it accelerates the excretion of some toxic metals, including methylmercury, copper, and arsenite^19,20.

It also stimulates the production of glutathione, another antioxidant capable of increasing heavy metal excretion from the body^21,22.

Studies suggest that N-Acetylcysteine can prevent gadolinium-based dye-induced toxicity in the kidneys of patients with chronic renal failure^23,24,25.

What are the side effects of gadolinium removal from the body?

Gadolinium detox supplements can cause die-off symptoms, known as a Herxheimer reaction.

Here Is How To Avoid A Herxheimer Reaction .

Summary: How to remove gadolinium from the body naturally

Gadolinium is a toxic heavy metal commonly used in MRI contrast dyes to emphasize areas of interest of MRI images.

Gadolinium-based contrast agents are not completely excreted from the human body after an MRI.

Instead, they accumulate in body tissues, where they cause toxicity that can induce unpleasant symptoms and chronic diseases.

If you wonder how to remove gadolinium from the body and brain naturally, here are the five best natural remedies to detox this heavy metal:

Activated charcoal
Diatomaceous earth (food grade)
Silica
Zeolite
N-Acetylcysteine

The post How To Remove Gadolinium From The Body Naturally appeared first on Cilantro News.