Tubulointerstitial Diseases
Tubulointerstitial diseases predominantly involve the tubules and the interstitium (the space between the tubules). They may be acute or chronic. Drug-induced acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) can be caused by antibiotics or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Drug-induced chronic interstitial nephritis can be caused by analgesic agents, lithium, antineoplastic agents, and cyclosporine. Physical factors causing interstitial damage are obstructive nephropathy, reflux nephropathy, and radiation nephritis. Discussions of infectious tubulointerstitial nephritis, metabolic and toxic tubulointerstitial nephritis, interstitial disease associated with vascular damage, tubulointerstitial disease caused by dysproteinemias and other tumors, and cystic disease of the kidney are also included. There are 13 figures, including micrographs, CT scans, pyelograms, and photographs of gross specimens, that illustrate the clinical findings of these diseases. Tables list the etiologies of tubulointerstitial diseases and drugs associated with AIN. This chapter has 161 references.