Cytokine dynamics in a 14-year-old girl with tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis syndrome

Abstract

Tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis (TINU) syndrome, which was first described in 1975, has been reported in more than 130 patients, mostly in adolescent or young women. Although data concerning the etiologic background of this inflammatory disease are limited, several humoral factors, including cytokines, have been reported in association with the disease. Here, we report a case of TINU in a 14-year-old girl, whose renal and ophthalmological improvement was associated with the decrease of serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interferon-c (IFN-c), and interleukin-8 (IL-8). This suggests the presence of T-cell-mediated immunity in this unique syndrome.

New Biomarkers in Acute Tubulointerstitial Nephritis: A Novel Approach to a Classic Condition

“…The same group showed that urinary TNF-α was also higher in a large series of ATIN cases compared to other causes of inflammatory kidney disease, and that urinary TNF-α correlated well with the number of TNF-α-positive cells in the renal biopsy [ 24 ]. Aoyagi et al reported the value of serum TNF-α levels in the follow-up of a case of TINU, which dramatically decreased during the first week after treatment initiation [ 25 ]. Moledina et al found higher urinary IL-9 along with higher TNF-α levels in patients with ATIN.…”