Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2001, 194 (1)

Case Report

Tubulointerstitial Nephritis and Uveitis Syndrome in Two Siblings

HIROSHI TANAKA, SHINOBU WAGA, TOHRU NAKAHATA, KOICHI SUZUKI, TATSUO ITO,¹ NORIO ONODERA,¹ SENJO IWAMI,² NOBUHIRO MONMA³ and ETSURO ITO

Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, Hirosaki 036-8562,
¹Divisions of Pediatrics and ²Ophthalmology, Iwate Prefectural Kitakami Hospital, Kitakami 024-0063, and
³Division of Pathology, Morioka Red Cross Hospital, Morioka 020-8560

Two Japanese sisters with persistent uveitis showed significant increased levels of urinary b-2 microglobulin. A percutaneous renal biopsy performed in the younger sister revealed tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) with helper/inducer T cell infiltrates. Also, abnormal 67-gallium accumulation in the kidneys, suggesting TIN, was observed in the other one at the same time. Although patients with the syndrome of tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis (TINU) have been reported to date, its occurrence in siblings has rarely been seen. Both of them shared same human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DR6, suggesting the potential association between HLA-DR6 and TINU.

Keywords —— helper/inducer T cell infiltration; HLA-DR6; siblings; tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis syndrome; urinary b-2 microglobulin

© 2001 Tohoku University Medical Press

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Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2001, 194, 71-74

Address for reprints: Hiroshi Tanaka, M.D., Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, 5 Zaifu-cho, Hirosaki 036-8562, Japan.

e-mail: hirotana@cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp