[Symptoms in patients with tubulo-interstitial nephritis]

High dosages of nephrotoxic drugs in elderly patients might be correlated with an increase in the number of patients with tubulo-interstitial nephritis (TIN). In patients with acute TIN, marked fever, back or flank pain, CVA tenderness, skin rash, arthralgia, eosinophilia, and eosinouria are observed. Clinical symptoms might be induced by glomerular, proximal tubular or distal tubular dysfunction in chronic TIN. Mild to moderate proteinuria, edema, hypertension, azotemia, glucosuria, aminoaciduria, polyuria and polydipsia are characteristic findings in patients with chronic TIN. These findings are slowly progressive in such patients. It appears that the marked fibrosis with lymphocyte infiltration in the interstitium is a poor clinical marker in patients with TIN. Furthermore, it is important to differentiate TIN from glomerulonephritis.