Keflex and Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis is reported as a side effect among people who take Keflex (cephalexin), especially for people who are male, 60+ old, have been taking the drug for < 1 month also take Magnevist, and have High blood pressure.

The phase IV clinical study analyzes which people have Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis when taking Keflex. It is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 14,902 people who have side effects when taking Keflex from the FDA, and is updated regularly.

What is Keflex?

Keflex has active ingredients of cephalexin. It is often used in infection. eHealthMe is studying from 15,844 Keflex users. Check the latest studies of Keflex.

What is Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis?

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (involves fibrosis of skin, joints, eyes due to kidney disease) is found to be associated with 505 drugs and 673 conditions by eHealthMe. Check the latest studies of Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.

eHealthMe: drug outcomes in the real world

eHealthMe runs one of the largest post-marketing drug safety studies in the world. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Our data-driven phase IV clinical trials have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Tools to study our phase IV findings are available to the public, anonymous and free >>>.

On Aug, 27, 2026

14,902 people reported to have side effects when taking Keflex.
Among them, 29 people (0.19%) have Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.

Could Keflex cause Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis?

Among these 29 people:

How long have people been on Keflex when they have Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis? *

What is the gender of people who have Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis when taking Keflex? *

female: 48.28 %
male: 51.72 %

What is the age of people who have Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis when taking Keflex? *

What are other drugs people take besides Keflex? *

What are other side effects people have besides Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis? *

Pain: 23 people, 79.31%
Oedema Peripheral (superficial swelling): 22 people, 75.86%
Rashes (redness): 19 people, 65.52%
Mobility Decreased (ability to move is reduced): 16 people, 55.17%
Skin Tightness: 16 people, 55.17%
Skin Induration (an abnormally hard spot or area on the skin): 14 people, 48.28%
Skin Exfoliation (removal of the oldest dead skin cells): 13 people, 44.83%
Joint Contracture (a permanent shortening of a muscle or joint): 12 people, 41.38%
Itching: 12 people, 41.38%
Skin Hypertrophy (skin cells enlarges): 12 people, 41.38%

What are the existing conditions these people have? *

High Blood Pressure: 6 people, 20.69%
Pain: 5 people, 17.24%
Sarcoma (rare cancers that develop in the muscle, bone, nerves, cartilage, tendons, blood vessels and the fatty and fibrous tissues): 3 people, 10.34%
Rashes (redness): 3 people, 10.34%
Rash Pruritic (redness with itching): 3 people, 10.34%
Oedema Peripheral (superficial swelling): 3 people, 10.34%
Gout (uric acid crystals building up in the body): 2 people, 6.90%
High Blood Cholesterol: 2 people, 6.90%
Febrile Neutropenia (fever with reduced white blood cells): 2 people, 6.90%
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging Abdominal: 2 people, 6.90%

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Do you take Keflex and have Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis?

- Check whether Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis is associated with a drug or a condition
- Predict drug outcomes for up to one year with AI
- Get an AI agent to monitor your drugs continuously

Related studies:

Effectiveness of, long term effects of, and alternative drugs to Keflex:

Keflex (15,844 reports)

Browse all side effects of Keflex:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Browse all the drugs that are associated with Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis:

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (505 drugs)

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis:

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (673 conditions)

Related publications that referenced our studies

Agrawal A, Rao M, Jasdanwala S, Mathur A, Eng M, "Cephalexin Induced Cholestatic Jaundice", Case reports in gastrointestinal medicine, 2014 Aug .
Agrawal A, Rao M, Jasdanwala S, Mathur A, Eng M, "Cephalexin Induced Cholestatic Jaundice", Case reports in gastrointestinal medicine, 2014 Aug .

How the study uses the data?

The study uses data from the FDA. It is based on cephalexin (the active ingredients of Keflex) and Keflex (the brand name). Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered. Dosage of drugs is not considered in the study.

How to use the study?

DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting your doctor. If there are any serious or long term adverse effects discovered in the study, discuss the study with your doctor to ensure that proper medication management will be in place if applicable.

Who is eHealthMe?

With medical big data and proven AI/ML algorithms, eHealthMe provides a platform for everyone to run phase IV clinical trials. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Results of our real-world drug study have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications, including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Our analysis results are available to researchers, health care professionals, patients (testimonials), and software developers (open API).

WARNING, DISCLAIMER, USE FOR PUBLICATION

WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.

DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.

If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.