Tubulointerstitial Kidney Disease, Cystic Renal Disease Renal Genital Urinary System 2019 TUBULOINTERSTITIAL DISEASE AND POLYCYSTIC KIDNEY DISEASE Biff F. Palmer, MD, Office: H5.112; Phone 87848 Email:
[email protected] LEARNING OBJECTIVES • List the pertinent aspects of the history, physical examination, serum and urine electrolytes, and urinalysis that distinguish between acute and chronic interstitial nephritis • List the common clinical entities that can give rise to acute or chronic tubulointerstitial renal disease • List the common clinical characteristics of polycystic kidney disease. • Delineate the features that one can utilize to distinguish glomerular versus interstitial renal disease Tubulointerstitial Kidney Disease Tubulointerstitial renal disease involves the tubules and the interstitium rather than the glomeruli and the vasculature of the kidney. Tubulointerstitial disease may be acute or chronic and may present as a primary renal disease or may occur as part of a systemic disorder. Patients may present with subtle tubular defects or fulminant renal failure and can develop renal structural and functional changes that are either reversible or permanent. Although tubulointerstitial renal disease makes up only a small percentage of the cases of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease in the United States, damage to the tubulointerstitium of the kidney contributes significantly to the progression of most of the important forms of renal disease. Specific laboratory findings in patients who have tubulointerstitial disease reflect the underlying etiology; the extent of injury, and the chronicity of the insult. The urinary sediment often contains erythrocytes, leukocytes, and white blood cell casts. Proteinuria, when present, predominantly results from loss of low-molecular-weight proteins (e.g., ß2-microglobulin) rather than loss of albumin.