Chronic predominant interstitial nephritis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: a follow up of three years and review of the literature.

Predominant interstitial nephritis is a rare manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus. Only seven cases have been reported in the literature. Owing to the rarity of this entity, the natural history of predominant interstitial nephritis in lupus has not been adequately recorded and an appropriate therapeutic approach has yet to be defined. In this report we present the case of a 25 year old woman with active systemic lupus erythematosus complicated by kidney failure and renal tubular acidosis due to predominant interstitial nephritis. We describe the course of her disease over a three year period. Seven additional patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and predominant interstitial nephritis are reviewed.