A low BUN/creatinine ratio predicts histologically confirmed acute interstitial nephritis

In hospitalized patients with acute renal injury (AKI), acute tubulointerstitial nephritis (AIN) constitutes one of the leading etiologies. The objective of this study was to identify clinical and biochemical variables in patients with AKI associated with kidney biopsy-confirmed AIN.

For our prospective study, we recruited hospitalized patients aged 18 years and older who were diagnosed with AKI based on biochemical criteria. Prior to enrollment, each patient was assessed with a complete metabolic panel and a kidney biopsy.

The study consisted of 42 patients (with a mean age of 45 years) and equal numbers of male and female patients. Diabetes and hypertension were the main comorbidities. Nineteen patients had histological findings consistent with AIN. There was a correlation between histology and the BUN/creatinine ratio (BCR) (r = -0.57, p = 0.001). The optimal Youden point for classifying AIN via a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was a BCR ≤ 12 (AUC = 0.73, p = 0.024). Additionally, in diagnosing AIN, BCR had a sensitivity of 76%, a specificity of 81%, a positive predictive value of 81%, a negative predictive value of 76%, and OR of 14 (95% CI = 2.6 to 75.7, p = 0.021). In the multivariable analysis, BCR was the sole variable associated with AIN.

A BCR ≤ 12 identifies AIN in patients with AKI. This study is the first to prospectively assess the relationship between renal biopsy results and BCR.