GE Healthcare Inc. and several other companies are facing a new gadolinium poisoning lawsuit from a Louisiana woman, alleging she developed gadolinium deposition disease (GDD).

The gadolinium poisoning lawsuit was filed by a woman from Louisiana, who alleges she developed GDD not long after undergoing an MRI scan that used a gadolinium contrast agent.

Plaintiff Judy G. filed this gadolinium poisoning lawsuit after discovering that the heavy metal material could stay in her body long after her MRI exam. According to the gadolinium poisoning lawsuit, Judy had MultiHance, Omniscan, and other gadolinium-based contrast agents injected intravenously for an MRI exam.

Gadolinium is a heavy metal that is highly magnetic. It is not produced naturally in the human body. For this reason, gadolinium metals are commonly used in MRIs to enhance diagnostic images for doctors to examine.

Different internal structures like organs, blood vessels, and tissues are better exposed when the MRI scan interacts with the gadolinium in the body, which allows for greater contrast in the resulting images and, ideally, more accurate diagnoses.

However, it has been recently discovered that gadolinium may stay inside patients months or even years after the MRI, and it may cause patients to experience gadolinium toxicity.

According to the gadolinium poisoning lawsuit, Judy tested positive for gadolinium retention on Dec. 18, 2017 and Dec. 27, 2017. She now says the retained gadolinium has led to the development of GDD.

Overview of Gadolinium Toxicity Problems

According to Judy’s complaint, GDD occurs when gadolinium stays in the body for extended periods of time and causes toxicity effects. Gadolinium deposits primarily in the brain and bones. It has been blamed for severe headaches and joint pain, among other symptoms. GDD has been reported in patients with previously healthy kidney function, which was also the case for Judy.

The FDA had initially warned that patients with pre-existing kidney conditions were most at risk for serious gadolinium toxicity effects, with the agency issuing a warning in December 2017. In this warning, the FDA stated that gadolinium toxicity can cause a rare condition known as nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in patients with kidney problems.

However, the FDA also said it has received reports of adverse events in multiple organ systems of patients with normal kidney function. Some of the side effects blamed on gadolinium toxicity include:

• Pain or Burning Sensations in Arms, Legs, and Torso
• Cognitive Difficulties
• Headaches
• Memory Impairment
• Bone or Joint Pain
• Spongy or Rubbery Skin
• Thickened and Painful Ligaments
• Tightness in Hands and Feet

The problems of gadolinium toxicity received new attention in 2017, when actor Chuck Norris filed a gadolinium poisoning lawsuit with his wife Gena Norris.

According to the claim, Gena had developed severe and deliberating side effects from gadolinium toxicity, including pain, kidney damage, loss of mobility, and cognitive impairment.

Norris alleged that he and his wife were not warned about the effects of gadolinium poisoning. Judy raises the same claim in her current gadolinium poisoning lawsuit. She states she would not have agreed to have gadolinium based MRI contrast implemented if she had known about the risk of heavy metal toxicity.

This Gadolinium Poisoning Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-10212-BWA-JCW, in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana.