Interstitial nephritis is a condition in which a part of your kidneys, called the interstitium, gets inflamed. It can be mild and short-term or more severe and longer-term. It is usually caused by another disease.
What Are the Types of Interstitial Nephritis?
There are two types of interstitial nephritis. They are:
- Acute interstitial nephritis. This type comes on quickly. You either can’t pee enough or pee too much, especially at night. If your acute interstitial nephritis is caused by bacterial infection, you may have a fever, pain when urinating, and back pain.
- Chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis. This type develops gradually. Its symptoms, when advanced, include — itchiness, fatigue, appetite changes, nausea, vomiting, and breathing issues — can at first look like kidney failure. You may also not have any symptoms at all.
What Are the Causes of Interstitial Nephritis?
The most common causes of interstitial nephritis are:
- Drugs. Drugs associated with interstitial nephritis are aspirin, antibiotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, proton pump inhibitors, and immune checkpoint inhibitors.
- Infections. Bacterial infections like E. coli, viral infections like HIV or herpes, syphilis, parasites, and exposure to fungi are all infections that are linked to interstitial nephritis. Kidney infections also cause interstitial nephritis.
- Immune disorders. Sarcoidosis, Sjogren’s syndrome, and lupus are all linked to interstitial nephritis.
What Are the Symptoms of Interstitial Nephritis?
Interstitial nephritis symptoms include:
- Reduced amount of urine
- Increased urine
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Rashes
- High blood pressure
- Irregular mood swings
- Drowsiness
- Confusion
- Swelling throughout your body
- Weight gain
Most people do not have any or very few symptoms.
How is Interstitial Nephritis Diagnosed?
The only way of getting an accurate interstitial nephritis diagnosis is through various laboratory tests and usually a kidney biopsy:
- Kidney function tests. These are blood tests that can tell you how well your kidneys are functioning as well as detect complications of failure, such as waste products, metabolic acidosis, uric acid, and phosphate.
- Kidney biopsy. This is a test where kidney tissue is removed and then looked at under a microscope. It is the only way to definitely prove that you have interstitial nephritis. Sometimes if kidney disease is improving from withdrawal of medication alone, or if it is not possible to do a kidney biopsy, or if suspicion for interstitial nephritis is very high, then a kidney biopsy can be skipped. Various tests. Other tests your doctor might order include ultrasonography or a CT scan of
- Various tests. Other tests your doctor might order include ultrasonography or a CT scan of the abdomen.
What Is the Treatment for Interstitial Nephritis?
Stop taking the drug that may be causing symptoms. Your doctor may prescribe corticosteroids or other immunosuppressants if the acute interstitial nephritis is not improving despite stopping the offending drug, or if it is very severe, or if it is the result of a disorder like lupus. If your interstitial nephritis is very severe and yourbody starts to fail, you may need your kidneys to be artificially cleaned by a process called dialysis.