(InjuryBoard.com) A new study has found that iodine-based radiographic dye that doctors use to increase contrast during medical scans can damage the thyroid gland in some patients.
Every year, millions of people worldwide receive a radiographic iodide dye called iodinated contrast media (ICM) for imaging procedures such as cardiac catheterization and computed tomography scans (CT scans). Healthcare providers usually inject iodinated contrast media intravenously, but may also administer it intraarterially, intrathecally or intraabdominally. Iodide is a form of iodine. The iodide in a typical dose of iodinated contrast media for a scan is hundreds of times greater than the recommended daily allowance of iodine. Adverse effects of iodinated contrast media on the kidneys are a known risk. However, not much research is available on the effects of it on the thyroid gland. The thyroid requires iodine to manufacture its hormones, but an overabundance or deficiency of iodine can cause thyroid problems.
Authors analyzed medical records of patients treated between 1990 and 2010 who had no preexisting hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid) or hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid). The study showed that patients who developed hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism were two to three as likely as those who did not develop the conditions to have received an iodinated contrast media during a CT scan or cardiac catheterization. “We were very surprised by the magnitude of the associations,” study author Dr. Steven M. Brunelli, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston told The New York Times. “We obviously expected to find something or we wouldn’t have embarked on the study. But to see these twofold or even threefold changes in risk was more than we had expected.”
The RDA for Iodine is extremely low, just enough to prevent goiter. Japanese women regularly get in the vicinity of 30mg/day with no side effects while we keep the RDA at 0.15mg/day. The nuclear industry issues 30 mg potassium Iodine tablets to people who live near a nuclear generator on a monthly basis. How much Iodine is in the contrast media? I know of one Dr. group in NY who test patients for Iodine deficiency by giving them 50mg and collecting all urine for 24 hours. The amount of Iodine in the urine determines the deficiency. He made the statement that it took an average of about a year at 25.4 mg/day (a value in a standard solution used by medicine for years) to get the level back to normal. RThis caused no side effects.
There are two major sources of iodine in today diet. Iodized salt contains a small amount and ocean fish such as Salmon provide some.
The big problem is that florine (in toothpaste and some places in the water), chlorine (in water to kill bacteria) and bromine (used by some bakeries) all are in the Iodine family. They load up the thyroid and keep even a lot of what we do get from being absorbed in the thyroid.
But Doctors, Pharmacists etc will tell you that you should not take ANY iodine without doctor prescription unless you knew you were deficient. I asked my Dr. where I could get tested to find out if I needed iodine. He said he had no idea where I could get tested – he works in a big University Medical Hospital Complex!!!!
Also, the medical profession and proclaimed that salt is bad for you so MANY people do NOT USE IODIZED SALT and many people do not eat a lot of Ocean Fish. Hence, I’m sure MANY People are deficient. AND, the test used by the med..profession is unreliable at the least.
Okay well I’m scheduledbto have one of these next Friday for chest pain and shortness of breath. Rhwy are looking for a blood clot and masses in lungs What are the other aternatives?