Fw: ***Warning: Imaging Tests Can Damage Kidneys, Increase Stroke and Heart Attack Risk

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram. This article is very important and I request all my friends to read it

carefully. Pl. discuss the health risks of undergoing an angiography, CT-Scan

etc. with the doctor next time he / she recommends the same. The benefit should

be far more than the risk to justify the test, both in terms of the expense and

the subsequent health risk!

Yours

Swamy

 

--- On Sun, 8/23/09, Viviane Lerner <vivlerner wrote:

 

Viviane Lerner <vivlerner

***Warning: Imaging Tests Can Damage Kidneys,

Increase Stroke and Heart Attack Risk

" HEALTH & HEALING "

Cc: " AHRP " <veracare, " ALTERNET " <joshua.holland,

" PROGRESSIVE REVIEW " <news

Sunday, August 23, 2009, 5:25 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.naturaln ews.com/026894_ health_heart_ attack_stroke. htmlOriginally

published August 21 2009Warning: Imaging Tests Can Damage Kidneys, Increase

Stroke and Heart Attack Riskby S. L. Baker, features writer 

(NaturalNews) No matter what your health complaint is, if you go see your doctor

you might end up undergoing some kind of high tech imaging procedure such as

cardiac angiography, CT (computed tomography) or MRI (magnetic resonance

imaging). According to a study published last fall in the journal Health

Affairs, medical imaging has soared over the last few years across all types of

these tests, doubling the annual medical cost per patient. In fact, the study

confirmed previous reports that patients are far-too-often being subjected to

unnecessary imaging. 

At least, most of these tests are minimally invasive and thoroughly studied to

make sure they carry few risks so they are safe, right? Unfortunately, the

answer is no. New reports of lasting, health-harming effects from some imaging

tests are accumulating. A case in point: a new study just published in the

Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN) warns that seemingly

minor and reversible kidney damage injury which can arise after undergoing

certain common medical imaging procedures is a serious health threat. The

reason? It is linked to a greatly increased risk of stroke, heart attack and

death.

University of Vermont physician Richard Solomon,MD, and his colleagues

investigated 294 patients with kidney disease who were exposed to contrast

agents during cardiac angiography. Patients in this study, dubbed the CARE

(Cardiac Angiography in REnally Impaired Patients) trial, were randomly divided

with half receiving the contrast agent iopamidol and the other receiving the

contrast agent iodixanol. 

Many medical imaging techniques, including cardiac angiography and CT scans,

often involve the use of contrast agents, substances that contain iodine (like

iopamidol and iodixanol) and barium, because they enhance the contrast between

body structures or fluids within the body. This allows blood vessels and changes

in tissues to be more clearly visualized. 

When Dr. Solomon and his colleagues followed the CARE patients for one year or

longer, they found that 92 (31 percent) of the research subjects experienced

negative health effects after their imaging test. Their risk of having a stroke

or heart attack over the next year or two after the test was elevated. Overall,

38 (13 percent) of the patients experienced a major event, such as death,

stroke, heart attack, or end-stage renal disease. Those who developed

contrast-induced kidney injuries had twice as many long-term negative health

effects compared with patients who didn't suffer kidney damage. 

It isn't only people who already have problems with their kidneys who can be at

risk from the imaging testing,either. Doctors have long known exposure to

contrast agents can cause damage in seemingly healthy kidneys, but patients are

usually assured this is just a temporary side effect that will resolve on its

own. However, recent studies have suggested that contrast-induced kidney damage

might actually be lasting and serious. In a statement to the media, the

University of Vermont researchers said " the CARE trial findings should prompt

investigators to design additional studies on the long-term negative health

effects of contrast-induced kidney damage " .

In addition to kidney damage, the contrast agent iopamidol has also been known

to sometimes cause seizures in people with a history of epilepsy. However, in

rare case reports, including one published earlier this year in the Internet

Journal of Neurology, iopamidol has been found to cause severe seizures and

respiratory arrest in non-epileptic patients undergoing imaging tests.

As reported in Natural News last April (http://www.naturaln ews.com/026001.

html), the use of contrast agents isn't the only potentially dangerous downside

to some common imaging procedures. A study in the medical journal Radiology

found that people who had numerous CT scans over their lifetime had a

significantly increased risk of cancer. In fact, CT scans increased the risk of

cancer by 2.7 to 12 percent.

For more information:http://cjasn. asnjournals. org/http://www.ispub.

com/journal/ the_in...http://www.mayoclin ic.com/health/ dr...

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