Correspondence to: Dr Kei Pin Lin Tel: (65) 6222 3322 Fax: (65) 6326 5242 Email: binglin8@ yahoo.com.sg Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a rare multisystem disease characterised by widespread tissue fibrosis. It is recognised for its epidemiological association in patients with chronic renal failure, after administration of gadolinium-chelate magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agent, partic...

Many conditions presenting with clinical hard skin and tissue fibrosis can be confused with systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). These disorders have very diverse etiologies and often an unclear pathogenetic mechanism. Distinct clinical characteristics, skin histology, and disease associations may allow one to distinguish these conditions from scleroderma and from each other. A prompt diagnosis is...

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis is a newly discovered disease that has been associated with the use of gadolinium-based MRI contrast agents in patients with severe renal disease, most commonly those on dialysis If the patient has risk factors for kidney disease (> 60 years, diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosis, history of renal disease, multiple myeloma), a BUN/creatinine must be performed with...

To the Editor: Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is an emerging medical entity in patients with renal disease, which results in progressive cutaneous and systemic fibrosis. It is a rare disorder that has been recognized in patients with renal impairment since 2000.1 Patients with NSF demonstrate symmetric dermal and subcutaneous fibrosis evidenced by increasing skin induration on clinical exa...

Until recently it was believed that extracellular gadolinium based contrast agents were safe for both the kidneys and all other organs within the dose range up to 0.3 mmol/kg body weight. However, in 2006, it was demonstrated that some gadolinium based contrast agents may trigger the development of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, a generalised fibrotic disorder, in renal failure patients. Accord...

THE PROBLEM The first case of what ultimately would be called Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) was recognized in 1997 and subsequently reported in 2000.1 Over the ensuing years a growing body of literature has elucidated the clinical picture of the disease and the extent of organ involvement. Although the exact etiology remains unknown, all NSF patients have signifi cant chronic renal impair...