Interstitial Nephritis

Excerpt

Interstitial nephritis, also called tubulointerstitial nephritis, includes a variety of mostly inflammatory kidney disorders that involve the renal tubules and interstitium but generally spare the glomeruli.

The condition now known as acute interstitial nephritis (AIN), was first described in a renal biopsy specimen by William Thomas Councilman, the chief pathologist of Brigham Hospital, in 1898. In a post-mortem review of 42 cases, he described nonsuppurative interstitial lesions found predominantly in patients with streptococcal infections, which were later implicated in the immunopathogenesis of acute kidney injury (AKI).

Over the years, acute interstitial nephritis has been linked to a variety of infections, drugs, and systemic disorders. Fortunately, it is generally reversible if diagnosed early and treated appropriately.

Acute interstitial nephritis is the third leading cause of renal dysfunction in kidney transplants and it remains one of the most common causes of acute kidney injury (AKI) leading to renal failure.

This review will not cover autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease which is described elsewhere. See our companion StatPearls review article on "Autosomal Dominant Tubulointerstitial Kidney Disease."