Study Shows Longterm Health Problems From Contrastinduced Medical Imaging Procedures

Medical imaging often uses contrast agents, such as iodine and barium, to enhance structures or fluids within the body.  Exposure to contrast agents can injure the kidneys and recent research suggests that such contrast-induced kidney damage may actually be more serious.

The researchers studied 294 patients with kidney disease who were exposed to contrast agents during cardiac angiography.  After one year, the researchers found that 31% of the patients experienced negative health effects and 13% of the patients experienced a major event, such as stroke, heart attack, end-stage renal disease or death. Individuals who developed contrast-induced kidney injuries had twice as many long-term negative health effects compared to patients whose kidneys were not damaged.

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