kidney and urinary tract disorders
Tubulointerstitial Nephritis
Causes of Tubulointerstitial Nephritis
The most common cause of acute tubulointerstitial nephritis is an allergic reaction to a medication. Antibiotics such as penicillin and the sulfonamides, diuretics, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)—includingaspirin—may trigger an allergic reaction. The interval between the exposure to the allergen that caused the reaction and the development of acute tubulointerstitial nephritis varies usually from 3 days to 5 weeks. Medications can also cause tubulointerstitial nephritis through nonallergic mechanisms. For example, NSAIDs can directly damage the kidney, taking up to 18 months to cause chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis. Kidney Infection (pyelonephritis) can also cause acute or chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis. Kidney failure is unlikely unless inflammation causes a blockage in the urinary tract or pyelonephritis occurs in both kidneys. Tubulointerstitial nephritis may be caused by immunologic disorders that primarily affect the kidney such as anti-tubular basement membrane (anti-TBM) antibody–-associated interstitial nephritis. 