Iodide Heart Scans Linked to Thyroid Disease

American Heart AssociationAn angiogram of a
49-year-old man with unstable angina.

A common iodide contrast agent given to millions of patients who undergo medical scans every year raises the risk of thyroid disease, a new study shows.

Iodide, a form of the chemical element iodine, is widely used as a radiocontrast agent to allow doctors to see blood vessels and tissues in medical imaging tests. In a typical year, about 80 million doses of iodinated contrast agents are administered worldwide, largely for CT scans, cardiac catheterizations and other angiograms, and their use is growing as the technology spreads to developing countries.

[...]

Full article at well.blogs.nytimes.com

 

Posted via email from Moments of Awareness