Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (
NSF) or
nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy (
NFD) is a rare and serious
syndrome that involves
fibrosis of skin, joints, eyes, and internal organs. The first cases were identified in 1997 and its cause is not fully understood. However, evidence suggests NSF is associated with exposure to
gadolinium (with
gadolinium-based MRI contrast agents being frequently used as contrast agents for
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)) in patients with severe
kidney failure. Epidemiological studies suggest that the incidence of NSF is unrelated to gender, race, or age and it is not thought to have a genetic basis. A registry for NSF has identified about 335 cases as of 2011.