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Contrast-Induced Kidney Damage Can Cause Long-Term Health Problems WASHINGTON, DC -- June 25, 2009 -- Kidney injury that can arise after undergoing certain medical imaging procedures increases a patient's risk of having a stroke or myocardial infarction (MI) over the next year or 2, according to a study published online in the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology. The findings indicate that seemingly minor and reversible kidney damage from these common clinical procedures is a serious health threat. Medical imaging often use contrast agents to enhance the contrast of structures or fluids within the body. Exposure to contrast agents can injure the kidneys, but patients are often told that this is only a temporary side effect. Recent research has suggested that such contrast-induced kidney damage may actually be more serious, although no thorough studies have looked into the hypothesis. To investigate the issue, Richard Solomon, MD, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, and colleagues studied 294 patients with kidney disease who were exposed to contrast agents during cardiac angiography. Patients in the Cadiac Angiography in Renally Impaired Patients (CARE) trial were randomly divided to receive 1 of 2 contrast agents: iopamidol or iodixanol. After following patients for at least 1 year, the researchers found that 92 (31%) of the patients experienced negative health effects. Thirty-eight (13%) of the patients experienced a major event, such as death, stroke, MI, or end-stage renal disease. Individuals who developed contrast-induced kidney injuries had twice as many long-term negative health effects compared with patients whose kidneys were not damaged. In the absence of contrast-induced kidney injury, there was no difference in the incidence of long-term negative health effects between patients who received iopamidol or iodixanol. However, the investigators found that patients who received iopamidol had reduced incidences of both kidney damage and long-term negative effects. These parallel decreased incidences support the theory that contrast-induced kidney injury causes long-term negative effects. SOURCE: American Society of Nephrology E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version